


A Dais at Daybreak

by cordeliasept



Series: A Dais at Daybreak: The Full Saga [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Blood and Violence, Curses, Dismemberment, Elf Dream, Elf Sapnap, Elves, Enemies to Friends, Eventual Fluff, Fae & Fairies, Fairy George, Fairy Technoblade, Gen, Immortality, Inspired by Music, Inspired by fire emblem, Magic, Mild Gore, Moral Ambiguity, Necromancy, No Romance, No Smut, Nymphs & Dryads, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Profanity, Pyrophobia, Sirens, Spells & Enchantments, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, The Nether (Minecraft), Trauma, War, Wizard BadBoyHalo, dream and sapnap are half-siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:06:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 42
Words: 135,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24636538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliasept/pseuds/cordeliasept
Summary: In a cabin in the woods, elves Dream and Sapnap live peacefully, hidden from the rest of society on the continent of Osiadira. But even then, Dream is still haunted by nightmares of the war millennia ago, fire flickering in the edges of his vision and smoke clouding his thoughts. He refuses to ever leave—not because he doesn't want to see his human friend Bad or explore beyond the borders, but because he is a criminal, and the kingdom of Hyllifold is risking generations of friendship with Keldavegr for his and Sapnap's sake.Then, he meets a fairy for the first time since that terrible day, and everything changes.George is dangerous, powerful, and perhaps the key to breaking the curse that is Dream and Sapnap's bane of existence. Though hiding his own stories, the three find a strange connection with each other, and realize that with all of them working together, everything could be turned upside down and made right again.As tensions rise, secrets are discovered, and two nations draw toward the edge of a new war, a greater enemy lurks below—and Dream, Sapnap, George, and Bad must reveal the truth before everything is laid to waste.ON HOLD UNTIL ABLSTT IS FINISHED
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), No Romantic Relationship(s), Platonic Relationships - Relationship
Series: A Dais at Daybreak: The Full Saga [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1925809
Comments: 230
Kudos: 461





	1. Dark Memories

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: Their personalities here are based off of their personalities in their Youtube videos—anything that the creators do in this story are not reflective of how they are in real life. I also don't like to ship real people romantically, so everything here is platonic. If any of the Youtubers explicitly state they are uncomfortable with this fic/these types of fics, I'll take this down immediately.
> 
> Every spell mentioned here all comes from Fire Emblem: Three Houses; if you ever want to see their animations you can google the spells on Youtube.  
> The same goes for a lot of other named places. Many names here and the culture of this fictional world takes references from Norse, Norwegian, and Celtic cultures.
> 
> Read the tags before you go on! **There will be blood, violence, suicide, torture, etc.** If you are uncomfortable with any of these, I suggest you find something else.
> 
> Song inspiration for the entire book: literally the fire emblem ost from the last three games, counting SOV, and some feh and awakening ost who knows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream can't shake the thoughts out of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song inspo: [fe3h - revenge](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrLOaEbW8Ts) (warning: clicking the link will take you away from the fanfic, so duplicate your tab before you do this!)
> 
> welcome to my fic :D sit back and enjoy!
> 
> DO NOT TRANSLATE, STEAL, PASS AROUND DOWNLOADED COPIES IN ANY FORMAT (PDF, PNG, ETC.) OR CLAIM THIS AS YOURS! THIS WORK BELONGS TO ME, CORDELIASEPT.

The cabin in the Sólbjǫrgvǫllr woods, lit by the faint light of lanterns, was surrounded by a number of enchanted trees. Their purpose was to shield the cabin from any sort of oncoming danger, whilst providing resources for the two inhabitants inside. Nearby its location was a small pond, decorated with seagrass and lilypads, its pristine waters clear even at night. Stationed right in a small pocket at the edge of Hyllifold, the elf kingdom, it was a great hiding place from Keldavegr, the fairy empire.

Inside the cabin was Dream, an elf that was unintentionally connected to the royal lineage of the kingdom. Currently, he sat on an old rocking chair, concentrating heavily as he studied a new spell, faintly outlining its casting motion in the air with his right hand. Nearby, a brewery stand stood on a wooden counter, bubbling as he brewed some more potions of strength. Next to that, the cauldron was leaking, an iron bucket placed lazily underneath to catch its dripping water. His desk, covered in a fine layer of redstone dust and littered with empty glass bottles along with a flask of moonwater from the night before, rocked dangerously under his weight.

Dream himself wasn't feeling too peachy. The royal family had been planning to hold their next monthly meeting today, in order to discuss what to do with the future of the kingdom and how they should adjust their meritocratic system. Dream, despite being a near-complete outsider and (technically) a rogue elf due to him leaving the kingdom, was still given an invitation to go. Halfway through casting his teleportation spell, the family just notified him that they had cancelled it, causing him to have wasted the entire morning. Being the stubborn kind of person he was, he decided to continue wearing the clothes he had dressed up for the meeting for the rest of the day, just to spite the royals. It wasn't too uncomfortable either—a long white gold-trimmed tunic, complete with brown trousers and black boots along with a neon-green cape draped over his left shoulder, pulled all together by the enchanted iron chest-plate he wore. Occasionally, he would also gear his old knight helmet, worn out from battles, but he opted out of it today.

"Sap! Help me out here; I don't understand this," he yelled upwards. 

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Sapnap was Dream's younger half-brother and (unlike him) was still closely tied to the royal family. Often he would leave for a couple of weeks, being called to the royal family much more often thanks to his actual blood connection and reputation as an ex-general. As one of the few remaining elf warriors in the kingdom, many asked for his services, in which he was happy to oblige—though he often did it under his alias, "N". It wasn't intentional, but Dream occasionally felt bitter about how the royal family treated Sapnap in comparison to him, even though Sapnap surpassed him in both magic proficiency and fighting capability, and everything was done for his safety.

Sapnap finished climbing down the ladder in their cabin and peered over Dream's shoulder, scrunching up his nose in disgust. "Abraxas? Really?"

"It's the one spell I just can't get right." Dream shook his head, sighing in frustration. "It doesn't do a lot of damage, so I feel like I'm doing something wrong whenever I cast it."

"I hated learning Abraxas. It took me weeks to get it right. And Abraxas isn't meant to outright hurt your opponent." Sapnap pointed at the sigil on the spellbook, tracing a couple of lines. "These read blindness and slowness. The whole point is to disarm your opponent by blinding them with the light, slowing them down in the process."

"But the effects are only temporary, right?" Dream shook his head in confusion. "I would see how it would be good for a quick getaway, but that's it?"

"You can just make a quick riposte with other spells like Thoron or Bolganone," Sapnap suggested. "But why are you trying to learn this spell anyway?"

"There's been more attacks around the borders of the kingdom recently." Dream frowned, brushing stray blond locks behind his sharp ears. "The royal family might call me back without warning to help rout the enemies."

"That's just rude. Isn't the whole point of you being here is to protect the long-standing history of us both being supposedly dead?" At that, Dream winced, and Sapnap sighed. "I know, it's a touchy subject. You hate fighting, after all."

"I _do_ , Sapnap." Dream stood up and laid the spellbook down on his desk, carefully taking out the freshly-brewed potions from the stand to let them sit out on the window to ferment. "I still have nightmares of last time."

"Dream, that was _two thousand_ years ago. Are you sure you don't want to visit Bad?" Sapnap furrowed his eyebrows in worry. "Besides, there's been nothing major since then. Only bandits and thieves. Hyllifold's been at peace for years with Keldavegr."

"I'm fine. I don’t need therapy." Dream shook his head. Bad was a fellow human wizard, living up high on the tallest cliffs of Fimbulwinter. Despite both the elven and fae being against Bad's presence, he mostly left everyone alone, and he was left alone so as long as he wasn't causing trouble. Dream and Sapnap were close friends with him, but they often communicated through letters and hardly saw him face-to-face. Bad never blamed them, though—the trip to the cliffs was a perilous and dangerous one, and it would take them weeks. Bad was known for his psychedelic therapy, but Dream didn't feel as if consuming a couple of magic mushrooms would do him any good. "I just can't shake the feeling that I'm still being watched. I can't even travel normally; I have to use a flipping teleportation spell to save me from possibly running into _them_."

"Dream. We're safe here, both you and me. The cabin is off the grid of searching magic." Sapnap continued to attempt to comfort his frustrated brother, shaking his head.

"Right. Okay. Thanks, Sap," Dream muttered. "Sometimes, I feel like you're the older brother here, not me."

"It's only a one-year difference." Sapnap laughed, patting his back. "Go outside or something. Get some fresh air before you get redstone dust stuck in your lungs for the next twenty years. Check the garden or something."

"Alright, alright." Dream stood up, taking his precious bow Sinmara with him. "I might go hunting around the perimeter. You can go back to doing...whatever you were doing before." As he opened the wooden door, Sapnap gave him a wave and a smile, and Dream stepped onto the porch and then the front yard. The lush grass hugged his bare feet, the elf walking through its clutches before arriving where the garden stood nearby the pond. Protected by a wooden fence, he pushed open the door and stepped inside. Bending down, he began to observe how his plants were faring. The golden carrots were nearing their harvest time, their shiny green tops poking from the soil. Nearby, the glistening melons had reached their full size, only needing to sit out until night for harvest. The golden apple tree at the edge was still blooming.

Reaching out, Dream turned the soil for the barren patches where he had just started growing sunflowers a couple of days ago. They didn't have any magical properties (other than their use for cooking), but he still felt the need to try and grow some, especially since they were gifts from Sapnap, retrieved from the far plains of Eldingland. Keeping the soil fresh was essential for these precious sunflowers, so he continued to care for them deeply. It helped him relax and take his mind off from the fact that he was technically being hunted. As soon as he left the garden, he felt the weight of being watched again, and sat at the edge of the pond, watching the fish and cattails.

_______

It had happened millenia ago, quite literally. A war between the elves and fairies broke out thanks to a skirmish over trade deals and the sudden assassination of the current elf king, Skeppy. The elves, wanting revenge, set out to fight the fairies, and both Dream and Sapnap had gotten caught up in the skirmish, Dream and Sapnap back then still being nothing more than teenagers. Since they were part of the royal family (their mom had Sapnap with one of the princes, shortly after Dream had been born to a commoner), they were forced to become trained as soldiers, and later generals. It was how Dream had ended up taking up the bow, whilst his brother grew a sudden love for swordplay. Since swords were much more favored, Sapnap rose through the ranks much more quickly than his brother, leaving Dream in the dust. When Sapnap became the general of the top faction, Dream insisted the royal family to send him out along with his brother at the next battle on the Dyslor Plains, which would later famously be named the "Battle of Flames".

It's name was fitting for what Dream had experienced, at least. Sapnap had rushed the army forward, his eagerness to get out and fight overwhelming his tactical strategy at first. Dream, stationed on a hill (later to be named the Brazen Hill), listened to Sapnap begrudgingly and fired arrow after arrow, occasionally diving behind a boulder or holding up his shield to avoid any arrows taking his life. The battle, however, only grew worse from there.

One minute, there was a warning cry from Sapnap. The next minute the entire hill was ablaze.

Dream had immediately dove for cover, trying to run away from the smoke that was quickly rising around him and the scorched ground of the hills. He could hear the cries of his fellow archers, begging for help as the flames consumed them. More flaming arrows followed, aimed blindly but still somehow hitting their mark. One ended up spearing him through the shoulder, and he tumbled to the ground, his steel bow cracking and falling apart as he slammed onto the hot dirt, shrieking in pain. Trying his best to not give away the fact that he was still alive, he ripped the arrow out (still screaming in the process) before quickly pouring a vulnerary to seal the bleeding wound. Rising up and abandoning his broken weapon, he continued to choke on the smoke, running down the other side of the hill where he could hear shouts and yells from both sides of the battle. Over it all, he could hear the panicked cry of his brother, desperate to locate him.

"Dream!" Sapnap screamed throughout the chaos, and Dream could hear the thundering of his brother's horse's hooves running around the battlefield, most likely avoiding magic attacks. " _Dream!_ "

Dream couldn't risk calling him back. He continued to run into the woods, finally reaching fresh air as he turned and saw the hill he had just been on engulf itself in flames, charred bodies tumbling from the sides. He let out a sob as he saw his fellow archer, A6D, stumble from the hill, clothes on fire and letting out a guttural cry. Dream was frozen, watching as A6D suffered, reaching outwards for help before his body failed him and he collapsed, flesh and other bits smearing themselves on the hill along with the rivers of blood. For a moment, he couldn't hear his brother's cries anymore, fear gripping him like a vise. He needed to get out. He should have never come here, never should have asked to go on the battle. He hadn’t been ready.

He finally managed to turn around, only to come face-to-face with one of the fairies. Stumbling back, he whipped out his emergency dagger, readying himself into a defensive stance. His left hand conjured up lightning, preparing a Thunder spell in his hand. "S-Stay back!" His voice trembled, and he knew he was losing focus. The fairy blurred in his vision, adrenaline from running and nausea from the smoke both making him feel sick. It stood there, hovering in the air as its butterfly-like wings shimmered a multitude of colors, blue and purple and a different number of colored hues. _So pretty_ , he thought, and he immediately ruled out that he was losing his mind.

"I won't kill you," the fairy seemed to say, but Dream became even more poised to attack, not readying accepting his words. "No. You _will._ "

"I won't," the fairy insisted, seemingly concentrating hard on something. "You're not one of them. You don't think the same way the elf royals do."

Dream immediately recognized the magic glowing in the fairy's hand—mind magic, meant for peering into the thoughts and crevices of one's brain, the most difficult form of magic to conduct. Without thinking, he released his Thunder spell. The fairy dodged, but not quickly enough, a thunderbolt searing through its left wing. It landed on the ground, now imbalanced. Dream could feel the grip on his brain loosen, and he bolted. The fairy didn't follow him.

Around him, he could hear the battle coming to a stop, and confusion caused him to slow down. He turned, but the fairy was just standing there, trying to attend to its wound. He saw the remaining elves come in a sort of semicircle, and he began to climb the nearest tree, attempting to see what was going on. As he finally scrambled to the top, his vision cleared and he could now see why most of the fighting had stopped.

On their side, Sapnap stood, having gotten off his horse. His diamond armor was caked in mud and blood, the long white headband he normally wore to keep his charcoal-black hair out of his face flying in the wind. His sword, also dirtied with blood and glowing with magic, was gripped tightly in his right hand. On the other side, Dream couldn't recognize the fairy general, but its white wings and heavy armor indicated some sort of buff person. It had a glowing sword in its hand as well, wrapped in vines and made of other materials Dream couldn't recognize from so far away. He glanced back towards where the other fairy had been, but it was gone now. He didn't sense its presence anywhere, so he turned back to the battle, watching.

Sapnap waited a couple of seconds longer before rushing forward, his boots slamming down on the mud from the rain a day prior. His shield came up to deflect a Fire spell towards the sky before he and the other fairy slammed swords with each other. Metal clanged in the battlefield as magic spells were hurtled towards each other, Dream watching and naming them all in his head just like he had done when he was a child. Nosferatu. Blizzard. Cutting Gale. Bolting. Sapnap rose his foot up to kick the fairy's shoulder, and then brought his sword down in a large clash that echoed throughout the battlefield.

For a moment, they stared each other down, the fairy seemingly smiling and Sapnap trembling under the fairy's strength. He then jumped back, clearly overpowered, and Dream watched in horror as the sword in the fairy's hand seemed to turn into a whip, flying out at Sapnap. It struck on his stomach, cutting cleanly through his armor but not far enough to make any sort of cut on his tunic underneath. Sapnap, now on the defensive, did a backflip to avoid the fairy's next swipe, nearly tripping on the mud in the process as the fairy continued to lash out, bloodlust evident in its movements. He rolled to the left, avoiding another swipe.

Then, there was an opening, and Dream could see it too. Sapnap fired an Excalibur off towards the right, the fairy easily dodging it as it was out of its range. Moments later, however, the spell came back and slammed into the fairy like a boomerang, the harsh winds tearing off parts of its wings, rendering it unable to fly and escape. Hissing at the sudden strike, the fairy seemed to lose all sense of control, angrily rushing towards Sapnap before raising its whip into the air and bringing it down.

At that very moment, Dream thanked whatever god was up there that Sapnap had actually been listening to him whenever he educated him on tactics.

_Disarm the opponent._

The sword wrapped around Sapnap's, the handle slipping from the fairy's grip. Sapnap tossed it to the side, rushing forward with a very quick sprint as the fairy realized that its weapon was gone. Not even bothering to use magic, Sapnap reached up to punch the fairy in the face, making it stumble back. It didn't even have a chance to recover before Sapnap leapt and drop-kicked his opponent, causing the fairy to slam into the dirt.

There was silence in the battlefield as Sapnap immediately pulled out his emergency dagger and slammed his knee onto the fairy's chest, pinning the fairy down. Sapnap glared down at him, and Dream couldn't tell what he was saying from afar, but then heard him cry out.

"This is for what you did to my _brother!_ "

Dream immediately realized that his brother was also in a murderous rage, hellbent on revenge for _him_. Sapnap thought he was _dead_.

He didn't get much longer to ponder on it, however; Sapnap had already stabbed the general numerous times: one on his forehead, one on his neck and one on his heart. The fairy's magic aura died out as it dissolved, the body becoming nothingness as fairy blood pooled out onto the mud. Sapnap rose from the ground, the dagger covered in blood from the fairy. There was another moment of silence before their side of the army began to cheer, Sapnap picking up his sword and raising it in the air. "Victory is ours!" he yelled, the fairy soldiers immediately retreating at the sight of their fallen general.

Dream took the time then to go and climb off the tree, knowing that his brother needed to see he was alive. As he stepped back onto the muddy ground, he nearly fell from how dizzy he was. "Sapnap!" He cried out, stumbling towards the archer's hill where the fire had finally begun to die out. "Sapnap!"

"Dream!" Sapnap appeared from the smoke, covered in blood and soot and his sword sheathed in its scabbard, running towards Dream before engulfing his older brother in a tight hug. "You're okay, you're okay, you're alive, oh my god."

"I'm alive," Dream chuckled weakly, as his world began to sway and falter. He felt himself growing heavier, worried cries of "Dream?" echoing in his brain before he passed out.

When he had awoke, Sapnap had told him that the Battle of Flames had turned the war in their favor. He then told Dream that he had been let go, despite many of the royals' protests, and that he and both Dream were dismissed from service. Unfortunately, the cleric had bad news for him.

"They said that the fire was magical," Sapnap murmured. "Apparently it had curses built into its flames. You were the only survivor on that hill, Dream. You have that curse now."

"And what does that curse do?" Dream asked, worried.

"Immortality, Dream." Sapnap sighed, looking to be on the verge of tears. "You've been marked. The fairies will be hunting you down, through generations and generations of fairies, until you're dead."

"No." Dream stared at him, refusing to believe it. "I can't—I can't leave you alone. I promised mom."

"I have it too," Sapnap murmured, rolling up his sleeve to show a dark sigil etched into his skin. "The royal family offered us hiding places, but they’re all in the kingdom, and we can't stay here. They're willing to erase both you and me from history at my word to protect us." He looked up at Dream, dropping his voice to a whisper. "By tomorrow night, we should be gone. We can't endanger the heirs."

"Right," Dream swallowed, knowing that his life was changed forever.

_______

And thus that was how Dream ended up living in a cabin, accompanied by his brother Sapnap. He stared at his reflection in the water, rolling up his left sleeve to reveal the dark sigil, still glowing with subdued power. Since that day, he hadn't aged very much. It was as if he were aging, but very slowly. Back then, Dream had been around seventeen. Now, he looked more along the lines of twenty. He took off the golden diadem on his head, staring at it. It had been given as a parting gift from the queen back then, alongside Sinmara. The queen at the time was the only one that had truly recognized him as a warrior, besides his brother. Now that she was dead, Dream was erased from history books around the kingdom.

"That's a very pretty headband," a voice spoke from behind him.

"What—" Dream conjured up an arrow, whirling around to draw his bow at the figure who was standing behind him. "Who—"

The figure itself was a male, much shorter than him and holding a trident in his hand. He wore a bright blue tunic, adorned with silver, and had beige trousers. Around his ankles and wrists were golden bands, carved with intricate details and designs. He had chocolate-colored hair, eyes the color of hazelnut, and a circlet on his head embedded with what Dream recognized immediately as a minuscule eye of ender. But what worried him the most were the wings—dark hues of pinks, purples, and midnight blues, outlined with black like butterfly wings and glowing with magic.

A fairy.

"S-Stay back!" Dream stepped backwards, his foot entering the pond, arrow nocked and ready to fly. The fairy didn't seem to understand what was happening and stumbled backwards, waving his hands up in the air. "Woah, chill! Don't hurt me!" he screeched.

"Are you with them!?" Dream let his arrow fly, his fright causing him to barely miss the mark. The fairy shook his head vigorously, but Dream dropped his bow, terrified and unsure what to do. In a panic, he called for his brother. "Sap! _SAP!_ "

The fairy didn't even get to respond before Dream heard the door of the cabin burst open, Sapnap yelling "Abraxas!" before the fairy was suddenly blinded by a pillar of light, disoriented and falling to the ground, its wings twitching. Sapnap rushed over to Dream, worry in his eyes. "Are you okay!?"

"I-I'm okay." Dream exhaled and turned to the fairy, who was slumped on the grass. "What are we gonna do with him?"

"Let me check him first." Sapnap reached over carefully, observing from afar. He first checked for a pulse, and nodded once he saw that the chest of the fairy was still rising and falling. He then turned his attention to the circlet on the fairy's head. "An eye of ender?"

"Yeah, I was surprised too." Dream frowned. "Do you recognize it from your travels?"

"Considering you basically live under a rock, yes." Sapnap rolled his eyes at Dream. "Different types of pearls are used among the fae to mark outsiders. The eye of ender is considered the worst, meant for only the most dangerous criminals or someone who had been stripped almost entirely of their magic power." Sapnap frowned. "I don't know how he managed to find this cabin, but he's not with the royal fae. He's not one of them, Dream."

"What are we supposed to do with him, then?" Dream stared at the fairy longer, a nagging feeling of familiarity in the back of his head that he tried to push away.

"Let's take him inside. We can interrogate him when he wakes up." Sapnap tried to lift the fairy, but dropped him almost right away, hissing in pain. "Stupid curse," he muttered. "Making every touch like a burn. Outsider or no, we can't physically touch him thanks to this curse."

"I'll lift him." Dream waved his hand, created a magic sheet of energy in midair. He then slid it under the fairy, lifting it up with all his might. "Just open the door and lead the way."

As Sapnap opened the door to the cabin, Dream stared down at the fairy, careful to keep his hands away from touching him. He seemed so familiar, but Dream couldn't quite place where he had possibly seen him before. The doors to the basement opened, and Dream carefully slid the fairy down the steps, making sure that the fairy wouldn't wake up from all the jolting. Sapnap then pulled out one of his chairs—a magic-suppressing one—and Dream placed the fairy down on it, the chair glowing with magic as it secured the fairy from escaping. Dream then reached out for the trident, managing to wrestle it out of the fairy's grip.

Unfortunately for him, that one movement caused the fairy to wake up.

His eyes flew open, and he tried to rise from the chair, only to find that he was secured by some invisible barrier of magic. He then glanced up, spotting Dream and Sapnap, eyes widening. "What—What am I doing here!?"

"Who are you, and how'd you get to this cabin?" Dream immediately question, Sapnap lighting a lantern in the corner. The warm glow did nothing to suppress the tension in the room.

"I'm George." The fairy's voice, now significantly calmer but still a bit on edge, was unlike anything Dream had ever heard before. He had a slight accent, though Dream couldn't identify where it came from. "I'm a nightmare fairy."

"A nightmare fairy!?" Sapnap exclaimed in surprise, before immediately steeling himself. "R-Right. Okay. So how did you get here?"

"I sensed a strong nightmare around here, so I came to explore. There was a barrier keeping me from going in, but I used my unorthodox magic to push through." George winced at Dream's piercing stare. "I'm pretty sure you guys are aware of the decrease in nightmare fairies?"

"Yes," Sapnap said just as Dream said "No." Both turned to each other, and Sapnap mouthed "I'll explain to you later" before turning back to George. "Yes. Yes. Anyways—"

"I know you," Dream breathed, stepping back as George stared back at him in confusion. "It's _you_."

"Dream, what are you talking about?" Sapnap stared at Dream, noticing the sudden shift in behavior.

"You're that fairy! From the Battle of Flames..." Dream clutched his head, the memory like a painful stab. "You're the fairy that read my mind before letting me go!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Battle of Flames took basis from the Seiros vs Nemesis fight from the opening cutscene in fe3h, so apologies if they sound too similar :(
> 
> any kudos and especially comments are appreciated! thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	2. A New Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Sapnap determine George's fate. Meanwhile, the prince of Keldavegr is up to something else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a heavy-dialogue chapter...oo boy!  
> song inspo: [fe3h - the crest of flames](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5huaaCNtA9k)

"I'm sorry," George replied in confusion. "I've never seen you in my life."

"That's a lie," Dream stammered, stepping back as he recalled the fairy like a bad dream. Funny, considering that George was a nightmare fairy. "The colors are the same..."

"Are you sure it's him?" Sapnap cracked his knuckles aggressively, readying himself for a fight. George stared at him for two seconds longer, clearly frightened, before a glimmer of recognition flashed before his eyes.

"You're General Sapnap!" George exclaimed, utterly shocked. "The Dayslayer...but that was so long ago!" Still confused, he turned towards Dream. "And you're...Dream I think? You were in a book I read when I was younger."

"I'm not a general anymore," Sapnap insisted, and Dream nodded along in agreement. "And that title's obsolete."

"Okay." George nodded, calming down. "Everything makes sense now...kind of." He turned towards Dream. "Sorry if my presence reminded you of my ancestor. He was an asshole."

"Ancestor?" Dream stared at George. "You're the descendant of that one fairy...?"

"Well, if the story that got passed down through my family is right, then yeah. According to my parents, he was in charge of capturing different elves and taking them hostage in order to gain incentive for the elves to stand down, or to gain proof that the fairies didn't assassinate King Skeppy." George shook his head. "He had already taken a couple of innocents, but he was trying to go after the general, since he had royal blood."

"Reasonable," Sapnap scoffed.

"Sorry on his behalf." George turned to Dream, continuing his story. "He wasn't expecting you to be out on the battlefield. They set the Brazen Hill on fire, in order to disarm the archers. It was supposed to be strong enough of a hit that it would kill everyone there." At this, Sapnap hummed in agreement, and George continued. "Anyways, he senses your presence and that you're still alive, finding you had royal blood, and tries to find you to take you hostage."

"So he _was_ lying to me," Dream muttered, clenching his fists. He could vaguely remember the soft voice of his and Sapnap's mother, telling them in hushed whispers that both Sapnap and Dream had to promise each other that they wouldn't leave each other, ever. Despite both of their agreements, their mother being the paranoid person she was, forced them to do a blood oath, to secure their ties as siblings. That was how Dream gained royal blood, despite being born to a commoner father.

That was also the last night that they ever saw their mother, but he had no intention of delving into that mystery right now.

"Most of the time, he could easy take control of elves' minds to make them willingly leave the battlefield—no one knows how his mind magic was that strong. But for some reason, when he tried to get you, he couldn't. It was like as if there was a barrier inside your brain to keep him from completely possessing you. Then you noticed his magic, and shot him before fleeing." George's wings drooped a bit. "He only managed to see some of your thoughts. He gave up after that, beating himself up for the rest of his life as to what could possibly be different about you that would make his refined magic fail."

Dream, in clear disbelief, listened to George's story as he recalled the memory. The grip had felt so strong on his brain that he was sure he was going to lose his mind. It had definitely been powerful magic, and he most likely would've succumbed to it had he not prepared a Thunder spell beforehand. "It was so strong though!"

"Well, he probably _was_ putting all of his willpower to try and break your will. Either way, the fairy general died, and the fairies ended up losing the war. Sapnap went missing, but I had no idea you were still alive. Everyone thought you died of injuries and burns in the infirmary." George shrugged, the eye of ender in his circlet shifting slightly as if it were alive (which it wasn't, but it still freaked Dream out). "Still weird that no one ever really determined who assassinated the king. But yeah, my ancestor buried himself in his studies, never got a chance to experiment since the fairies were in a precarious position and you were dead apparently. I just don't understand how you two are still alive. Both of you guys should be dead of old age at least, if not rotting in some coffins."

"Ouch, thanks." Sapnap muttered. "Look, I'm going to talk with Dream for a moment, and then we'll see if we'll tell you why. If you even _think_ about escaping..." He pointed an accusing finger at George, sliding a hand across his throat, and George gulped and nodded. Then he pulled Dream out of the small basement, up towards the first floor where both of them could finally get some fresh air.

As soon as they were out of sight and earshot, Dream immediately wrapped his arms around Sapnap, shivering and in shock. Sapnap hugged him back just as tightly, face grim. For a moment, they stood there in each other's embrace. Then, Dream pulled back, tears streaming down his face.

"Sap," he started shakily. "Does that mean George is here to kill me? Is he going to carry on his family's legacy? H-How did he even get through? If his ancestor is that same fairy...does that mean he can use mind magic as well?"

"Dream..." Sapnap's shoulders sank, biting his lip as he racked through his brain to figure out a solution. "His ancestor sensed you, according to what he said, right? Do you remember anyone else around you, besides the archers you were with?"

Dream wiped his cheeks, trying to think. He didn't want to think about it, but he knew this was important. He recalled the flames around the hill, and backtracked from there. He recalled firing arrows like they were nothing, trying to strike down the wings of any fairy he saw. They had all been far away, making him tire himself out by having to adjust his string, making it harder to pull back for the sake of accuracy. The ballista that had fired down upon them was also from a distance. None of the fairies directly went to the hill, instead choosing to snipe back with either their own arrows, or magic spells.

"They were all far away. I never saw that fairy come up...the forest." Dream's eyes widened in realization. "Sap, I'm an idiot. We were the only ones in the forest. No one else was there."

"Right, which is why I couldn't locate you, because there were no sounds of fighting from the forest. I thought you were already dead at that point." Sapnap sighed, seeming to recall the same memory. Dream could never see it from Sapnap's perspective, but he could only imagine the horror on his brother's face when the ballista slammed down onto the hill, the entirety of it going up in flames, knowing that Dream was on there. "Oh my god, I forgot to tell you about nightmare fairies' decreasing population."

"Right." Dream swallowed. "What was that about?"

"Nightmare fairies were already uncommon, especially since the majority of them were rebels or rogues unattached to Keldavegr. They continued to die out, especially since it was hard to find any pureblood nightmare fairies to reproduce. I was watching George, and it seems like he's a full-nightmare fairy. They're attracted to dark magic and synergize the best with fear and sudden emotion. The empire tried to wipe them out because they were wreaking havoc. And George has an eye of ender. He could potentially be the most powerful nightmare fairy out there." Sapnap saw Dream open his mouth, and Sapnap immediately knew what he was going to ask. "And before you ask: yes, they do excel in mind magic, though even the worst criminals refuse to use it. Remember the incident I had with the fairies I ran across on that one trip forty years ago?" Dream nodded, and Sapnap continued. "They were nightmare fairies. The only reason they let me go was because they were rogues and also unhappy with the way Keldavegr was running things, actually taking pity on me for our curse."

"So George is bad?" Dream attempted to clarify.

"No, I actually don't think so." At this, Dream whipped his head up, appalled by his brother's assumption.

"What!? How!?" Dream waved his hands around. "His ancestor nearly _killed_ me!"

"Well, like George said, his ancestor went mad as to how he wasn't able to control you. And come to think of it, I haven't heard about anyone being able to resist extremely high levels of mind magic. The curse doesn't weaken one's resilience, so even if George tried to control you, he still wouldn't be able to. Besides, he hasn't casted a single spell on you at all. Did he even try to attack you?" Sapnap questioned.

"Well, no, but—"

"I know, Dream, we can't shake that possibility off. But I think we can trust him with our secret. If he's a criminal, Keldavegr would be wanting him back. We have an advantage by being able to turn him in. I can do it under my N alias if I need to, so we have some leverage against him to keep him from telling the other fae that we're still alive." Sapnap crossed his arms.

"That's a fair point," Dream admitted. "Alright, let's tell him then. But he's gotta stay here with us."

"Sure. I'll make room for him upstairs," Sapnap joked as the two opened the door to the basement and went back down again.

When they finally reached George, they saw him spacing out, deep in thought. At the sight of the two coming back, he blinked out of his daze and turned. "Er, are you guys done?"

"Yes, and we'll tell you. Only on the condition that you stay here with us, and not say a word." Dream attempted to look as regal and commanding as possible, which for some reason somehow worked on George. He nodded fervently, and Dream relaxed.

"For a nightmare fairy, you're a pretty big scaredy-cat," Sapnap joked, but George only tilted his head in confusion, and Sapnap waved his hand off. "Ah, whatever. Hyllifoldan sayings. You won't understand them."

"Anyways, I'm pretty sure they never say this in the history books, but the fire that set the Brazen Hill ablaze was magic." Dream swallowed. "I was the only one who survived that fire, but it inflicted a curse on me. Sapnap also got the curse. It seems like we're the only ones in the universe who have it, but it gave us immortality, and we're basically on a fairy blacklist. The descendants of the royal fae are hunting us down, generation after generation. The cabin here is hidden from their magic by the barrier, and it's very strong, so seeing that you came straight through the barrier without problems, it's a bit..."

"Oh no, no, I get that." George sighed. "Geez, so _that's_ why there's messenger fae flying in and out of the castle walls everyday! They're hunting some 2000-year old elves for vengeance. Kind of stupid, not gonna lie." His face dropped. "Sorry for storming in. I was trying to use a new form of magic I found while I was overseas."

"You _left_ Osiadira!?" Sapnap gaped at him. Dream couldn't blame him for being so surprised; in their two thousand years of living, they had never seen anyone leave the continent and come back, with the exception of Bad who had came from a far-away continent and stayed for good.

"Yep. That's how I got my eye of ender." George pointed upwards at the circlet, rolling his eyes. "It's pretty much an unspoken rule around Osiadira that no one should learn magic from outside of the continent. Some people from a village saw me practicing some unknown magic while on a hunt, so they turned me in—for money, probably, especially since I'm a rare nightmare fairy. Anyways, I get the eye of ender, I get thrown in a magic-binding prison, and I'm stuck there for about three days max before Bad let me out."

"Wait, you know Bad as well?" It was a shock to Dream that George was full of so many surprises.

"Well, not very well. That was the only time we interacted; I vaguely knew him only as the human wizard from Fimbulwinter. Anyways, he carves out a hole in the wall, disables the magic barrier, and lets me out before vanishing. I don't understand why he did it, and why specifically for me. Either way, they never figured out he was there and just assumed I used my otherworldly magic to break the barrier. So yeah. But they've slowed down on the hunt, and I've used the magic to fall off the grid, so they can't find me. And now that I'm under this barrier of extra magic you guys have, I guess it'll be impossible for them to come and find me." George's eyes lit up at that realization. "Oh. Wait, I'm actually safe here."

"Er, I'd like to beg to differ. We don't know if your presence will weaken the barrier or not," Sapnap muttered. "Although I guess I didn't feel the magic falter at all. But you said you felt nightmares?"

"Yeah, that was supposed to be our job. We were supposed to leech the nightmares out of people's heads, which is why we're so experienced in mind magic. I don't know, but I sensed a nightmare coming from here, so I felt the natural need to help. Maybe do it quickly and leave right after." George pointed at Dream, who felt uncomfortable with being put on the spot so suddenly. "But something about your presence was very...er, how do I say this?" George reddened, seemingly flustered. "Very...enticing? Like I was drawn to you, besides the nightmare of course."

"So that's why you said 'nice headband', which blew your cover?" Dream clarified.

"Oops. Yeah. Pretty much." George laughed, a light and adorable sound that seemed in heavy contrast to the fairy's entire role and story. "So uh...are you going to let me go?"

"Yes but actually no." Dream crossed his arms. "Here's the deal. We'll offer you protection. I know your ancestor and I had beef, but I'm trusting you won't try and kill us, right? Especially since we're all mutuals thanks to Bad." He internally thanked the gods above for Bad's entire presence. "On the other hand, you have to live here with us, and follow our directions. We can't let either of us expose each other to Keldavegr."

"Oh...that's it?" George frowned.

"What do you mean, that's it?" Sapnap raised his eyebrows.

"No, it's just that it sounds too good to be true. I mean, what do you guys get out of this? I get protection and a place to stay. You guys just get an extra person on your hands..." George shook his head. "I don't want to be a burden or anything."

"You're not going to be a burden," Dream insisted. "And besides...both me and Sapnap have been running from this curse for millenia. There was no chance of us fighting it, but now...with you, we can change our fate. We have a chance."

"You're going to fight against a 2000-year old curse." George blinked.

"Only if you're in," Sapnap added.

"Then I'll accept. I mean, payback for them arresting me because I leave Osiadira? I'm down." George grinned, and Sapnap and Dream glanced at each other. With George, everything could change. They wouldn't have to hide for much longer. As Dream released the magic barrier and Sapnap helped the fairy up to his feet, he couldn't help but smile, and for the first time in a very long time, the memory of the burning hill didn't resurface in his mind.

_______

"What kind of noodles are these?" George peered down at the steaming bowl of noodle soup in front of him, picking up the fork next to it and tentatively stabbing it into the warm broth.

"It's some thing Bad brought from his country; it's called ramen." Dream sat down nearby as all three of them sat down at the small round dining table. "We rarely eat it, but it's very good."

"Huh. Okay." George twirled the noodles onto his fork, Keldavegr-style, and stuffed a bite into his mouth. At once, flavor exploded in his mouth, a combination of spices rolling around on his tongue, unknown to him by name but still delicious nevertheless. "Holy stardust."

"It's good, isn't it!?" Sapnap exclaimed excitedly. "I've always imagined a day where we would be able to go visit where Bad came from, but we could never thanks to this curse."

"Oh, it traps you inside the continent?" George spoke between mouthfuls of good noodles.

"Pretty much. Trying to go out within five feet of the shore burns us. Funny how they made that a part of the curse," Sapnap muttered sarcastically before digging back into his food. Dream fell silent as well, also eating.

"Hey guys, don't look so down," George reassured. "Now we're all in this together, right? All of us stand a chance together."

"Right." Dream nodded, then stopped chewing for a moment. "George, you said you could remove nightmares, right?"

"Dream, are you sure?" Sapnap interrupted, eyes wide.

"Yes, Sapnap, I'm fine. You keep forgetting I'm the older one here." Dream waved him off. "Could you er...help with my nightmares?"

"Well, that's how I got here in the first place, didn't I?" George joked, before his face turned calming and serene. "Of course."

_______

"Your Highness!" The prince's retainer flew into the room, landing onto the stone floor. "You called?"

"Of course I did, Jschlatt." The prince turned from where he was staring out the window, dark red wings twitching slightly as he adjusted his tunic. "Get anything you deem essential. We're leaving at midnight."

"Midnight? Leaving?" Jschlatt, bewildered, almost didn't register the prince's words at first.

"Yes. I'm sick of Wilbur taking his sweet time trying to find those two elves," the prince muttered darkly. "On top of that, the most dangerous nightmare fairy has been missing for six months now and everyone's swept it under the rug. If they're not going to do something, then I'll have to. You don't have to feel obligated to come with me, of course," he added. "I understand I'm taking on a very secretive self-monitored mission. But there's no turning back—I already left a note at the door of my father. He must've saved it for reading later, along with the stack of letters still on his desk."

"But why are we so hellbent on finding them? I don't understand." Jschlatt followed the prince as they both flew out of the room, alongside the dark corridors of the castle. "Of course I'm going to be following you, but I just want to know why."

"I have a score to settle with the fairy. For the elves, they'll reveal the truth of Osiadira's rotten and corrupt history, and we can finally destroy the terrible system that's been plaguing this place." The prince went down a flight of stairs, Jschlatt following. When they reached the bottom, he turned to his retainer. "Find TapL, and bring him along with us. Tell him not to ask questions. Meet me at the edge of the moat."

" _TapL?_ " Jschlatt blinked at him. "You mean the messenger? Him, of all fairies?"

"Just go," the prince whispered urgently. Jschlatt nodded, turning and flying towards the opposite hallway where his belongings and TapL's chambers were. As he disappeared out of view, the prince seethed to himself, bitterness in his tone.

"Just you wait, you disgusting nightmare fairy," the prince muttered under his breath. "You've got the Prince Technoblade on your bad side. And you never want _me_ on your bad side."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh yeah! villain intro! hahaha what's worldbuilding
> 
> 100 kudos already? yall are the best thank you so much
> 
> more kudos and comments are appreciated, as always! and of course, many mc youtubers that i know/have heard of will be joining this story as characters :D


	3. White Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream's nightmares still continue to haunt him, and Sapnap meets someone new in his sleep. At the same time, Technoblade and his liege continue to run from the Keldavegr castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 300 KUDOS!? YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING THIS INSANE MESS OF A FANTASY AU!
> 
> song inspo: [fe3h - fodlan winds (rain)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA2P8o07SKQ)

He's standing where he was two thousand years ago, a steel bow in his hands and a couple of arrows nocked, ready to fly. The _clop-clop_ of hooves of the calvary thundered on the plains, him being able to barely see his brother at the front. Wings beat the air as a number of pegasus knights encircled the dark sky, the gray landscape a contrast to their pure-white hides. Footsteps followed the horses, the infantry getting their weapons ready for a bloody battle.

In the distance, a speck on the battlefield, was General Sapnap, the Dayslayer. He raises his sword—pure silver, with steel filaments and the intricate designs of elven architecture interwoven into its blade. His helmet, barely covering his head, allows for his white headband to fly through the air, waving in the slight breeze of the wind. His expression is a blur, but he vaguely hears the battle cry.

"For Hyllifold!" It escapes his brother's lips, and the army charges forward. In the distance, he can see the familiar patterns of different fairies, their wings a dead giveaway. Some hold staffs; others wield lances. Some even wear gauntlets, charging headfirst to punch any elven into unconsciousness. He cannot hide now. He fires an arrow, and the rest of the archers follow.

His vision ripples, and suddenly everything is on fire. His body moves on its own, as if he is watching a movie from his own perspective. Diving to the ground, his bow shatters as it collapses under his weight, the arrow feeling like a thousand bee stings as it pierces his left forearm. He can see the blood trickling down, and his body moves immediately to rip the arrow out and pour a vulnerary over the wound. He can't hear very well, but there's a scream, and he's pretty sure it came from him.

His body forces itself to get up and move. Out of the waterlogged hearing state, a sharp cry pierces through—the voice of his friend A6D. He doesn't want to turn around, but no matter how many times he begs himself to continue moving, it is useless. His body spins on its own and he can see him, charred and burning, fire consuming him. Blood pours down the hill like a stream of water, combined with the horrifying smell of cooked flesh. _Turn around_ , he begs, and eventually his body complies, running through the forest again. He can vaguely hear the sound of his brother screaming his name, but he can't call back to him.

Then he runs into the fairy, his heart hammering and his lungs filled with smoke, the world starting to become a blur around him. For the first time, however, he can see it clearly. And to his horror, it was George, staring him down. He couldn't see the mind magic back then, but here he could redirect his eyesight low enough to see it manifesting in his hands. "I won't hurt you," the fairy said, sounding exactly like George. It was terrifying.

His body still reacts the same way, going through the same dialogue. "No, you will."

"I won't," the fairy continued, and he could feel an invisible hand trying to grope through his brain, trying to invade his mind. _Come on, please release Thunder please release Thunder PLEASE—_

The thunderbolt escapes his hand, and he is suddenly ripped out of the dream.

Dream gasped, sitting up right away in his bed, catching his breath. His heart refused to calm down for a moment, but when he made sure he was inside the cabin, safe from danger, he finally managed to calm down a bit. Below him on the second floor, Sapnap was sleeping soundly, lucky to not be plagued by memories of the war. He wipes the sweat off his forehead, lighting the lantern next to him with a small drop of fire oil. The warm light yet again did nothing to comfort him, as even glancing at the small flame reminded him of the Brazen Hill. He shuffles under the fleece blankets, unable to go back to sleep again.

Then he remembered—George. George was in his dream. He knew that it wasn't actually him, but seeing him take the place of the fairy in his dreams...it frightened him. He turned to the side, avoiding where George was sleeping on the floor next to him, and stared out the window. He could see the lake, some will-o-wisps probably having a party on the cattails, and then the forests. The moon was clear, a waning gibbous. Normally, when he had nightmares, he would stare out the window until the moon lulled him to sleep again. This time, however, his routine was interrupted by a whisper.

"Dream?"

Dream turned back to the other side, coming face-to-face with George, and nearly toppled off the bed in surprise. "G-George—"

"Do you want to talk about it now?" George whispered, unfazed.

 _Oh right, he's a nightmare fairy. He probably sensed I was having a bad dream,_ Dream thought to himself. He had called off George helping him right before sleeping, deciding that he couldn't trust George with his brain quite yet. Sure, they were allies now, but they certainly weren't _friends._ The idea of being friends with the descendant of someone who nearly killed him was ridiculous. But right now, having seen George in the dream was a bit of a shock. "Did you sense the nightmare?"

"It was strong enough to disturb my sleep," George muttered, and Dream hastily replied with an apology, but he raised a finger to silence him and continued. "That's never really happened before, to be honest. Normally, I can sense dreams here and there, some good and some not so great. The nightmares float at the surface, threatening to wake me up, but it never suddenly broke my sleep—not like how yours did. It's a very powerful nightmare. How often do you even have it?"

"Whenever I seem to dream," Dream murmured. "Some nights I'm lucky and I don't have to dream at all. Most of the time it happens around once or twice a week."

"Lord." George inhaled. "And you've gone through that for _two thousand_ years? How have you not gone insane!?"

"Sapnap," Dream replied, and George nodded in slight understanding. "He kinda helped me make sure that I knew I was safe and whatnot."

"Your brother is a good person," George determined with all the sincerity in his voice, and Dream nodded in agreement. "Anyways, do you want to talk about it now?"

 _Oh right._ Dream sat there, thinking to himself as how to get out of the situation. "Er...it's a touchy subject. I think I'll just stare out the window and fall back asleep."

"Oh." For a moment, Dream could've sworn he heard a twinge of disappointment in George's voice, but he didn't comment on it. "Alright. But if the dream comes back, and it ruins my sleep again, we're going to talk about it."

"Okay." Dream watched George slither back to his sleeping arrangement on the floor, and he himself snuggled back into his sheets, closing his eyes and letting the lantern run dry as he soon fell into a dreamless slumber.

_______

Sapnap glanced around, finding himself in a never-ending grass plain. The sky was blue, zero clouds shielding the sun from shining down on him. The grass tickled his feet, swaying in some sort of gentle breeze that he himself was unable to feel. He turned, trying to see if there was anything to help indicate which way he was facing, but already he was losing his sense of direction.

Then he saw the man laying down on the field nearby, and Sapnap accidentally locked eyes with him.

"Come sit." His voice was rich and earthly in tone.

Sapnap, finding he was able to move in the dream, walked forward. The glass tried to cling onto him, dragging him down, but Sapnap refused to stay put, walking forward until he was sitting next to the man. From up close, he could see him more properly. He wore a toga, the white hem of it reaching down to his knees, where his legs were covered in a number of gold and silver bracelets. Around his exposed shoulder was a half-cut cloak, with black billowy sleeves and gold trim. Interlocking belts wrapped around his waist, and he had a choker of diamond around his neck. From his mop of curly brown hair poked out two bull horns, curving inwards and pitch-black, and he had a goatee. Sapnap recognized him immediately.

"You're one of the gods," he blurted out.

"I see you're not a follower of mine, yet you know who I am." The god stared upwards, his hazel eyes trained towards the sun.

"Father SkyDoesMinecraft, or Father Sky." Sapnap bowed quickly, but the god merely chuckled. "It's alright, you can lift your head up."

As Sapnap did, he became even more confused. "Why am I here?"

"Do you know what the grass here is grown in?" Sky turned towards Sapnap, his right horn disappearing to keep him from impaling himself. When Sapnap shook his head, he continued to speak. "The grass here is grown on the soil of a graveyard. When you were walking here, you were being pulled towards the ground. The grass is grown in soul sand, filled with lost souls willing to drag you down to join them."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with anything...?" Sapnap frowned. 

The god's eyes grew sad, and he continued to ignore Sapnap's question. "The other god of Osiadira, DanTDM, had decided to break the ancient rules of Osiadira, and the gods that came before us. We have done all we've could to warn anyone who is willing to try and see the future, but they have all died in their attempts thanks to their foolishness." He stares at Sapnap, nodding grimly from where he was laying on the ground. "Darkness is coming. The flow of magic may become unstable."

"Why are you—" Sapnap's eyes widened. "No. _No._ You're joking."

"I am not," Sky continued. "You, Dream, and George are the last three who are able to find and reveal the truth of what had happened millenia ago. Dan and I will try our best to support you, but do know that it will not last long."

Sapnap saw his vision blurring, and he reached out frantically. "No. Come on, tell me more! I have to protect Dream..."

"The gods are dying." Sky's voice became murky, and the dream slowly faded to darkness. "The gods are dying..."

_______

"Where the hell are we going?" Jschlatt ducked under a tree, following Technoblade.

"Just get away from the castle! Sooner or later someone will be questioning where we've gone," Technoblade hissed back, planting his feet back down on the ground thanks to his aching wings. He continued to leap over a stream swiftly. "TapL! You alright?"

"I'm okay, your Highness," TapL wheezed, his green-brown helmet covering his face shifting here and there as he ran. "I'm sorry to be bothering you, but why am I here?"

"You don't need to address me formally," Technoblade corrected as they ran through the dense forest. "Besides, I couldn't leave you in the castle. Who knows what the other nobles could possibly do to you."

"I'm still being dragged here," TapL questioned, his feet slamming down on the dirt as the sky continued to move above them, the night still dark. "You're not going to make me like a servant, are you? Are you going to bully me?"

"With me and Jschlatt, your status doesn't matter," Technoblade replied fiercely. "I'm never going to let you get hurt by those wretched nobles _ever again_. They've hurt you long enough."

"I'm still dragging you down," TapL replied, hand reaching instinctively towards where his fairy wings had once been. "I can't even fly. The king chopped my wings off, and the nobles beat them to make sure they'd never grow back again. I'll just slow you down."

"But you're keeping up with us now, aren't you?" Jschlatt popped into the conversation, having also settled on the ground with his wings too tired to carry him. "And we'll find a way to get your wings back."

 _"What!?"_ TapL's eyes widened, and he nearly stopped in his tracks. Technoblade and Jschlatt noticed him slowing down, and turned to face their friend. He shook his head. "No! If you do that, you'd be going against the king himself! If anyone catches us, not only will they send me back and slice off my wings, but you'll be stripped of your noble status!"

"They can't do that! I'm the last remaining heir of Keldavegr, and my father won't take such a risk to disown me. I know it's risky, but you and Jschlatt are the most important people to me. I had no friends except for you two, so you best be expecting that I'll protect you two for as long as I live!" Technoblade stopped running entirely, his expression turning from one of anger to a softer calm. "You guys have given me your loyalty. I want to repay that."

"Your High—I mean, Technoblade..." TapL began to tear up, having never experienced such a kindness from anyone in his life before. "Thank you."

"You'll never have to thank me. You deserve better," Technoblade insisted, a faint smile playing at the edge of his lips before he turned back again. "We'll need to get out of this forest. Maybe find a village, or an abandoned Draconic's home. By the time day breaks, we'll lose our advantage of the cover of darkness."

"Right." TapL nodded, and the three of them broke out into a run again, leaving being the castle as sunrise began to appear.

_______

"We need to harvest everything and go," Sapnap said as soon as Dream and George had rose from their beds and were eating breakfast at the table. George didn't respond, too interested in eating Hyllifoldan food, but Dream nearly dropped his fork in startled surprise.

 _"What!?"_ Dream shook his head. "We're safe here!"

"Not anymore," Sapnap replied grimly. "I had a dream last night, where I talked to Father Sky."

"Father Sky?" Now George was intrigued, settling down his fork in favor of water. "I don't think he's ever visited anyone in a dream before. Visions maybe, but never dreams."

"He warned me," Sapnap began, "that the flow of magic was starting to become unstable. That something dark would be coming, but he didn't say anything more than that. He was telling me that he and Father Dan had already broke the rules of the ancient gods."

"So what does that—" Dream wavered, his mind slowly piecing two and two together, and he sank into his chair. "Oh. Oh no. No, no, no."

"Exactly." Sapnap glanced over at George, who seemed concerned for Dream and bewildered about the whole situation in general. "In short, the barrier is also unstable. Anyone could come in, or even locate us and just make their way here. I don’t know when it's going to start happening, but I think it's best if we don't sit here like sitting ducks, waiting for something bad to happen."

"Ah." George quickly downed the rest of his water. "Got it. Do you guys need help carrying stuff?"

"Yes," Dream replied, suddenly appearing very grim and commanding. "Once we're done, we'll get changed. I'll go outside and harvest the remainder of the garden. Sapnap, you get the essentials—tents, weapons, medicine, water, so and so. George, I'll need you to take at least _three_ of every potion in the storage closet, as well as the iron bucket, the brewing stand, and the spellbooks. I'll get the brewing ingredients along with the garden after. We should prepare to leave around midday."

"That's...a lot of potions," Sapnap pointed out. "George, you sure—"

"It's fine," George butted in. "I can hold a lot of things."

Sapnap seemed skeptical of his ability, but didn't question further.

The mood around the table remained solemn for the rest of breakfast. As soon as Dream has rinsed a dish with the small waterfall from the side of the wall, he immediately climbed the ladder to the second floor, grabbing a travel backpack and ripping out of his nightwear, opting to leave them behind. He hastily climbed into some clothes from the day before and some new ones—a similar tunic that was much shorter, with a long sleeved shirt underneath as well as the trousers and boots from yesterday. He wrapped two belts around his waist, sliding in some fire oil for his lanterns, before equipping his iron chestplate and pinning the lime-green cape over his shoulder. He sheathed a number of backup daggers onto his belt and slid on his winged diadem, before spotting a very familiar item on his desk.

It was a white mask, circular in shape and with a crooked smiley face carved into it. He couldn't quite remember too well how he had gotten it, but he knew he had been very young when he made it. It had somehow seemed to grow as he grew, for when he picked it up and slid it over his face it was just right for his head. He couldn't see too well out of it, but that didn't matter. Taking it off, he tucked it into a pouch on his belt, before glancing one last time at his room and climbing back down and going outside to gather the plants.

By the time he had finished stuffing his travel bag with golden carrots, glistening melons, and unripe golden apples, Sapnap and George were already standing outside of the cabin, the inside blinds pulled shut to ward off anyone curious. Sapnap had on a black sleeveless turtleneck vest, covered by his diamond breastplate, as well as leather britches and steel boots. Around his shoulders were his pauldrons from the war, horns protruding out from each one like a blade, and he had a blue cape signifying the color of Hyllifold. His familiar white headband was tied around his head, and in a belt he had his sheathed sword. Immediately, Sapnap tossed Sinmara to Dream, who caught it with ease, and handed him some arrows. "Just in case magic goes awry," he insisted.

George on the other hand still had his clothing from the night before, except he now had a short hood over his shoulders, pinned by a gold button. Trident in hand, he seemed to not have any bags on him, with the exception of the pouches on his newly-adorned belt. 

"Where's all the stuff?" Dream asked in confusion.

"He's got a whole _pocket dimension_ to store stuff in! He said that a lot of your items nearly took up everything in there, but he's okay with it. Are we ready to go?" Sapnap grinned and patted George on the back, clearly impressed. There was a churning in Dream's stomach all of a sudden, though he didn't know whether or not it was from his own nerves of leaving the place he had been staying in for a long time, or something else. 

Taking a last look, he noticed how the small clearing seemed so...empty without them. The lake still brimmed with life, but he knew he wasn't going to see its clear waters anytime soon. The garden and tree seemed sad and disappointing, all alone in a mess of soil. The cabin seemed old and abandoned with them giving life to it. Walking out was a risk. His whole life would be in danger. He would be hunted, tracked down nonstop. For a long time, he had been hiding and running from the fairies. He had been too scared to get near. With Sapnap and George by his side though, he felt a lot more stronger than before.

"One moment." Dream slung Sinmara over his shoulder. He stepped towards the lake, where he knew the will-o-wisps would either be sleeping or merely relaxing in. Smiling to himself, he poked a cattail gently. A small bright fuzz flew out, glowing red with irritation.

"Sorry buddy," Dream whispered, and the light of the will-o-wisp seemed to falter a bit, not being as enraged as before. "We're going to be going on a long trip, both Sapnap and I. We may not come back."

The will-o-wisp continued to float in the air, most likely listening intently.

"I want you and the will-o-wisps to make sure that if anyone finds this place, you hide. If they find you, they'll question you. Don't give anything away. Can you promise us that?" Dream asked.

The will-o-wisp seemed to hesitate, but it bobbed up and down in the air as if it were nodding. 

Dream smiled in relief. "Thank you." He nearly rose to get up, but another thought came into his mind, and he took a slight breath. "I promise we'll find a way back to this cabin."

The will-o-wisp didn’t react too much to his promise, but Dream swore that it could have shed a tear if he could see. Then, the will-o-wisp flew back into the cattails. Dream stared at the cattail for a little longer, before standing up and rejoining his friends.

"Sorry about that. I just had to leave being a parting message," Dream confessed. "Since, you know...everything will be riskier."

"That's alright. You ready to go now?" George asked. Dream stared at George, wondering how the fairy's existence had ended up changing everything he had been doing for the past two thousand years. Then he swallowed down his worries.

"I'm ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments per usual are appreciated and loved wheee
> 
> like in the tags mentioned, many youtubers will be cameo-ed in this fic (as you probably have already noticed), but this isnt the end! theres still many more characters to reveal :D


	4. To The Cliffs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream, Sapnap, and George are quickly discovered, and they make a shocking discovery. The king of Hyllifold receives a letter from the emperor of Keldavegr, and rumors begin to spread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to that one person who told me to delete this fic, this is for you :D thank you for motivating me!  
> this was supposed to be a slice-of-life fic, i don’t know when it suddenly became an adventure book, but if that’s how we're rolling, im down!  
> to all the 17 people that are subscribed, i love you guys. and to the ones who leave kudos and comments, i love you guys too!  
> more characters join the fray!
> 
> song inspo: [fe3h - wrath strike (rain)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da43XYbPTmc)

"I think this goes without saying, but we should go to Bad first," Sapnap immediately suggested as they navigated through the dense thicket of trees, a mix of birch and oak letting some sunlight stream through their clustered canopy of leaves. Dream had lost track already of where the cabin was, especially since he hadn't seen the forest around the cabin for so long. A lot of trees he had remember being planted were fully grown now, somehow still not dead. "We'll be able to stay there for a bit, especially since fairies can't handle the temperatures of Fimbulwinter."

"Perks of being an elf, I guess," George seemed to grumble, earning a chuckle from Sapnap. The main difference between the elves and fairies were their strengths and weaknesses. The elves were known for their powerful physical capability, able to resist death from old age, normally-fatal wounds, diseases, and harsh conditions. Despite their iron skin, elves were prone to emotions and sudden mental changes, leaving them able to die of rejection, self-loathing, or grief. Had it not been for the fairy curse, Dream was certain that he would've died long ago due to the sheer shock and grief. The fairies on the other hand were the exact opposite—their lack of compassion and empathy gave them a manipulative reputation, easily able to use magic. However, they were also frail, and too much damage would wither them away.

George was definitely different with his very expressional personality, but Dream pushed that fact aside. "That sounds like a good idea—"

"Stop." Sapnap no longer was moving, his sword unsheathed from his belt. George and Dream both fell silent, George landing on the ground so his wings wouldn't make any noise. Dream carefully nocked an arrow in Sinmara, and watched George ready his trident.

Then there was a sudden rustle from a nearby bush, and Sapnap whirled toward it just as a hooded figure rushed forward, a knife in hand and running towards Dream. Right away Dream let his arrow fly, the tip embedding itself into the figure's shoulder. It stumbled back, and in its disoriented state Sapnap had already lashed out, his sword cutting clean through the thin cloth the figure wore on its stomach, a thin line of blood appearing. It barely had time to focus before George had already stabbed it through the back, the trident bloodied as it bloomed from the same cut Sapnap made. A sickening _squelch_ erupted from the wound, the figure falling to the ground as George pulled out his trident.

"Is it dead?" Sapnap asked immediately.

"It will be." George glanced at the trident with no sense of remorse before impaling the figure one last time through the chest. It jerked upwards before completely collapsing, more blood staining the dirt as the figure was deemed dead. As if it had been a minor inconvenience, George wiped the trident on the ground to get the blood off, sheathing it.

Dream retrieved the arrow from the figure, hands trembling as he carefully wiped the blood off with a cloth from his belt. He hadn't actually _killed_ anyone in a long time—normally, when he was called to rout bandits, they would often immediately surrender, and no killing was actually needed. This time, however, this figure had been ready to stab him. It was just another reminder that he was never safe from here on out—that people would be tracking him down now that he was back on the grid.

"Dream? You alright?" Sapnap's voice broke through his train of thought, and Dream glanced upwards to see Sapnap and George peering over the figure, removing the hood. It seemed like a normal person, with glassy eyes void of life and hair cropped short. The ears were not pointed, showing that their attacker wasn't an elf—but it wasn't dissolving either, like a fairy. _What if it's a human like Bad,_ Dream wondered.

George inhaled sharply, his eyes like saucers. "Oh my god."

"What? What is it—" Sapnap's voice fell as he stared down at the back of the hooded figure's body, which George had rolled over. Dream forced himself to not vomit, reminding himself that he had killed many more people two thousand years ago, and glanced at the back of the figure's body.

Sure enough, the figure had fairy wings on its back. To everyone's shock, they were torn and bloodied at the edges, being nothing more than small nubs of what were graceful wings. Like tattered paper, the wing nubs drooped, and they didn't glow with the same mystical light that many fae did. Right below its wings were scorch marks of terribly-healed wounds, scars lining the back of its body. Some had even reopened thanks to George's brash fighting style, but instead of blood there was fairy dust escaping from them.

"A broken fairy." George stared at the body in disbelief. "They're still doing that as a punishment!? Despicable." His voice had a horrified tone, his hand carefully touching the dead wings and then the fairy dust as the body finally began to dissolve like normal fairy, the dust settling into the air like nothingness.

"Why didn't it dissolve right away?" Sapnap stared in confusion at the pool of blood and the clothes that were on the ground, the body that wore them no longer there.

"I don't know," George replied, worry in his voice.

"Well, either way, we know that we're being hunted now." Dream picked up the knife that the assassin was holding, examining the knife. It was a sharp short blade, a thin substance that was bright green coating the tip. A thin hoop at the pommel was just big enough to slide his finger in and twirl it—not that he was going to try that. The hilt, wrapped in thin white cloth, seemed to be slightly damp, most likely from sweat. "Do you recognize this?"

"It's a kunai." George glanced at the knife, wincing slightly. "Most of the time nobles use them to keep those who owe debts to them in check. The tip is poisonous; don't touch it." He frowned as he turned back to the pool of blood. "It's weird how this fairy managed to get one."

"Maybe they stole it from their master and made a run for it. They could be running from their master," Sapnap suggested. Dream whirled towards him, realization in his eyes, and Sapnap's thoughtful expression turned to one of recognition as he processed quickly what he said. "Oh shit."

"We gotta get out of here now!" Dream hissed, sheathing his dried arrow back into his quiver and already moving forward, both Sapnap and George scrambling to keep up with him. No sooner than when the words left his mouth, the trees alongside them began to move, as if there were someone running to catch them. "There's someone following us already!"

"They've got invisibility," Sapnap cried out frantically just as an arrow narrowly missed his shoulder. "Are we near the end of the forest yet!?"

"It shouldn't be too far! George, can you open your pocket dimension right now?" Dream turned around and quickly fired a magic arrow, it missing its concealed target before a knife embedded itself into the trunk behind him, drawing a small cut on his ear. He didn't risk another shot, instead trying to catch up with Sapnap and George as more projectiles veered from the right.

"I can open it anytime, but not when I'm running! I'll need protection!" George shouted back, nearly falling over from an arrow that took him by surprise, screeching in fear. _For a powerful fairy, this guy's a pretty big scaredy-cat,_ Dream thought to himself as he racked through his memory to recall a defensive spell. Sapnap was up ahead, far away enough from their new attacker that it was no longer focused on him. "Sapnap! We need a distraction."

Sapnap nodded, taking a shield out from his belt and strapping it onto his left arm before running towards the direction of the attacker, who stopped firing projectiles for a second to focus on his sudden arrival. With the little time that Sapnap had bought, Dream waved his finger in a complicated pattern, creating a dome of light around George. The fairy stopped immediately and conjured up a small hole in the space, as if it were a portal. "What do we need?"

"Night vision potions, three of them! They're purple." Dream held the force field around them as he saw Sapnap through the translucent shield, spinning around and thrusting out with his sword, clashing with some sort of invisible blade. Seconds later he heard the sound of the wind picking up as George closed his dimension, and Dream had been so focused on Sapnap, he hadn't noticed the kunai flying at the shield, pulsating with magic.

Dream stumbled back as the force field shattered, exploding into a rain of magic shards as his spell was destroyed. Cuts bloomed on his hand from the premature end of the spell, and they continued to ache as George quickly tossed him a glass bottle of the potion. He dove to the side, uncorking it and downing it in seconds. The effects didn't take long to settle in, and he soon could finally see through the invisibility magic their attacker held. Like the fairy from before, they were cloaked and their faces covered, holding a number of knives in one hand and sparring with Sapnap with a lance in their other hand.

"Sapnap! Grab one!" Dream took another one from George, who was busy trying to adjust to the new effects on his vision, and rushed forward. As Sapnap ran back towards George, he exchanged a potion from Sapnap's hand with a kunai that Sapnap had nabbed. It still had the sticky substance on its tip, and Dream didn't hesitate to shove it straight into the taken-by-surprise attacker's shoulder. It fell, screeching in pain like a wild animal, and Dream would have killed them if he had not glanced back and seen more of them coming—two, four, nine. Like assassins, they kept leaping through trees and scattering amongst themselves, creating a strange pattern that involved a lot of kunai usage and incredible dexterity. "Run!"

Sapnap and George both fled, Dream catching up with both of them quickly as they continued navigating through the woods. In the distance, Dream could see where the forest's edge was, overlooking an enchanting scenery that Dream would have stopped to admire were he not being chased. There were a stretch of plains, most likely unnamed, and farther behind that were a separate spruce forest before it led up to Fimbulwinter's harsh mountains. "Keep going!"

"Uh, Dream? I know it's a bad time to say this now, but at the end there's a cliff," Sapnap interjected, twisting his body slightly so he would avoid a stray arrow. "I mean, George can just fly down, but it's too steep to climb down and we can't fly."

"Well that's just great," Dream muttered sarcastically as he glanced over at George, who had taken flight to keep up with their running speed. "George, can you carry people?"

"Me!? No way. I'm not physically strong," George protested as the edge of the cliff drew closer. "But if you guys jump, I may be able to save you."

"How!? You just said you can't carry us!" Sapnap was the first to reach the edge, skittering to a halt as he nearly toppled over the edge. The sudden rush of sunlight was dizzying and nearly blinded Dream, the sun much stronger thanks to the night vision potion they had consumed before its supposed time. He nearly fell over as well, but George hovered over the empty chasm below, pegging them on.

"Just trust me!" George exclaimed urgently. "They're literally right _hERE_!"

"Oh my god, I can't believe I'm trusting a fairy that I just met yesterday that happened to also be the descendant of the guy who nearly killed my brother," Sapnap grumbled, before grabbing Dream's hand and leaping from the edge, George following them down the side of the cliff as they plummeted towards the ground below.

_______

"Your Majesty!"

The elf king turned around, stopping in the midst of his tracks as he addressed the elf messenger running up to him with a scroll in hand. "What is it?"

"An urgent message, sire." The messenger bowed hastily, his hands trembling slightly. "It's from the fairy king Wilbur himself."

"Oh." The king nodded, taking the scroll and nodding at the messenger. "Do not fret. I will take care of it."

"Sire, with all due respect," the messenger started up again. "There have been rumors of tensions rising between the two nations. People are frightened and worried we are about to enter a dark age. Prophesiers and soothsayers have predicted another war—just like the War of the Heaven and Earth millenia ago. I-Is it true? Is something bad about to happen?"

The elf king eyed him carefully for a moment, and then smiled benevolently. "Only time will tell. So as long as you continue to do your duties, you may be able to calm the panic." The messenger gulped and nodded as his statement before running off, ears red with embarrassment.

As soon as the king was sure that the messenger was gone, he hurried to his private quarters. Sunlight streamed through the glass-stained windows as he finally went into his office, locked the doors, draped the curtains, and lit a lantern as he unravelled the gray ribbon keeping it rolled shut. Gray meant something bad had happened in the empire.

He hadn't done anything wrong, nor had any note of anything suspicious going on that was directly linked to Hyllifold. The trades were flourishing, the relationship between the two nations was secured behind a number of different treaties and agreements, and there could have been nothing possibly going on that could make things worse. Right?

Pulling the scroll flat, he began to read the contents.

_King Preston of the Hyllifold Kingdom,_

_It is with all due respect that I send this letter to you as fast as I can. I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but this is an urgent matter. Well, perhaps maybe not just one. There are two major problems at hand, and it would be greatly appreciated if you could assist with me in them._

_One: Sightings of the long-ago-destroyed Wither have been reported. The entity itself has not attacked nor noticed any of its witnesses, but someone—or something—has managed to revive it. Sooner or later, the Wither will become aggressive and start to tear this land apart. I have already sent priests to different temples spread throughout our empire to ensure a layer of protection, but I am not sure if you will do the same. The most recent witness last saw it in the Miraga Valley, only a couple of days away from our borders. If anyone from your kingdom has seen it, please provide assistance so we can both take it out together before it starts to cause damage. I do not have a very good feeling about this Wither. It seems to glow with a strange purple-red light, and reeks of the dead._

"Eugh," Preston murmured to himself, worried. Then he continued onwards, wanting to see the rest of the scroll.

_Two: My son and the last remaining heir, Technoblade, has gone missing. He has left a note for me, indicating he was going to run away and hunt down a prisoner who had escaped long ago. I am sure you have heard about George and his nightmare powers. He has noted as well that he would also be looking for two elves that we have been hunting down for thousands of years—General Sapnap the Dayslayer and his brother Dream. There has been no clear answer as to where they are located, but they are dangerous war criminals. I do not know if you are secretly harboring them, though I don't believe you would have any intention to such a thing. Either way, Technoblade has taken his retainer Jschlatt and a herald, TapL, along with him. A sketch of all three is attached to the bottom of this scroll. Though I may have let him off with Jschlatt, having taken TapL has seriously angered one of nobles, and is causing a disruption in the empire. It would be well-appreciated if you could 1. send someone out to retrieve them all, and 2. reply to this scroll with the same ribbon as to whether or not you are hiding Dream and Sapnap, and reveal their location if you are. I do not distrust you, but this is a serious matter. You, of all people, should agree._

_With that, please respond as soon as possible, so that we may continue to ensure peace for both Keldavegr and Hyllifold. And by no circumstance should this get out to the public._

_-Wilbur Soot, King of Keldavegr_

Preston stared at the sketches right below the emperor's signature and stamp, internally admiring the artwork. He immediately made note of Technoblade's bright pink hair, the strange shape of Jschlatt's wings, and the covered mask over TapL's face as their most defining features. Then he inhaled sharply, massaging his temples.

Dream and Sapnap. Just as his father had told him, he had been watching over the magic barrier over their cabin late at night, making sure it was fueled by enough magic to sustain its properties. He had read all about the history when he was younger, mostly getting details of the battles fought during the War of Heaven and Earth, and how General Sapnap was their key to success. Unfortunately, he had disappeared shortly after the Battle of Flames and his brother's funeral. Only except that was what the history books wanted him to believe. His father had sat him down when he was still a prince and explained how history had been rewritten to protect them, as they had both been cursed with immortality and were forced to run away and hide. His father said that their ancestor had created a magic barrier in the Sólbjǫrgvǫllr Forest in order to hide them from tracking magic and being found. "Every elf king must continue to protect them," his father had told him.

_"But dad, if they were war criminals, why would we keep them? Wouldn't it be smarter to turn them in and let our relationship with the empire grow?" Young Preston had been so confused as to why they were doing this._

_His dad had smiled and stared out the window before replying. "Their destiny is yet to be fulfilled, according to what Father Sky had said to our ancestors. Should their time not be in yours, you must pass this on to your heir."_

Preston was expecting a heir, his wife pregnant with their first child. He just wasn’t expecting that Wilbur would be catching onto the fact that Dream and Sapnap were alive in _his_ lifetime. He had been trained for peace, not for anything else. _Not that I'm implying it, but still..._

What could he do? He could either lie and risk the fragile relationship between the two nations for the safety of two immortals and the words of a god he never met, or turn them in and be labelled as a liar in front of his kingdom and possibly end up bringing about the end of Hyllifold, or even Osiadira.

 _First, his son and his friends._ He stared at the sketches again, trying to make any sense of them, before there was a knock on his door. He quickly rolled up the scroll and shoved it into his drawer, lazily calling out for the person at the door. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal his retainer/best friend in the entire world, holding a glass of water and concern sprawled all over his face. "Preston, are you okay?"

"Woofless." Preston nodded in acknowledgement as Woofless settled the glass down on the desk next to his friend. Occasionally he could be himself around his friend, but this situation was different, and so he had to lie through his teeth. "I could be better, could be worse. What about you?"

"Concerned about how much whispering there is going around in the castle," Woofless replied bluntly, unaware of his liege's depressed mood. "Rumors nonstop of a Wither. I thought the last one was killed thirty years ago."

 _The Wither!_ "Really?" He perked up almost immediately, drawing confusion from his friend. "That's good."

"Wha—How is that good!?" Woofless, baffled at the sudden change in energy, narrowed his eyes. "Something's up, am I right?"

"Nope! Nothing's wrong." Preston took a swig from the glass of water, heading out the door. "Come on, you gotta guide me back to the source of the rumors!"

"Oh my god, please don't make any impulsive decisions," Woofless muttered under his breath as he followed the elf king out of the office, the scroll unknown to him as it sat in the drawer. "Wait for me!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I JUST NOTICED WE HIT 500 HITS! YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING PEOPLE, I LOVE YOU ALL!
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always! i love reading y'alls comments and replying to them :D
> 
> note: since this world has loose basis off of minecraft, the effects of potions may be altered. in here, the night vision potion not only allows you to see in darkness, but can also counter invisibility magic and allow you to see people that are trying to hide with it (like the "vision" part in "night vision") which is why dream team drank it midday


	5. Roar of Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As George, Sapnap, and Dream narrowly escape, more problems ensue. The dark ages begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 800 HITS!? YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!  
> this chapter was really hard to get out bc filler but at last we finally meet the legend bad himself!
> 
> fight scene! and stuff like that! 
> 
> song inspo: [fe3h - tearing through heaven (rain)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kef24Po3pc0)
> 
> i almost forgot dream team reads fics so uh if you're here thank you for reading this mess :D

When Dream finally slammed into the leaves, he was sure he was going to die. Which was ridiculous, considering he was immortal, but there was a sudden sharp pain jolting through his legs and he wanted to scream from the pain. He was _still_ falling, his fall having been somewhat broken by the canopy of leaves below him.

He could vaguely hear Sapnap screeching "Ow" constantly, and Dream couldn't blame him; the branches broke upon their impact and nearly tore their clothes apart before they finally landed on the dirt below, the distance from the nearest branch so low it felt nothing more like as if someone had just only pushed him. His back and arms both ached, and Sinmara was pinned under his weight as he dizzily got to his feet. Nearby, Sapnap finished his fall with a hard _thunk_ followed by a number of curses leaving his mouth.

"Are you alright? I used my magic to lessen the impact of the fall so you wouldn't break your bones," George asked as he settled on the ground next to Dream.

"Just peachy," Dream muttered as he slowly blinked spots from his eyes. "Are they still following us?"

"No; I saw them retreat." George frowned. "Probably going to regroup and think of another strategy. Those sigils on you and Sapnap's forearms are attracting lots of fairies."

"No duh." Sapnap stepped towards where Dream and George were, brushing dirt and leaves off his body. "I thought I was going to die there for a moment."

"What, you don't trust me?" George joked, but Sapnap and Dream both remained silent, and sensing the tension, George quickly switched topics. "Either way, we need to keep moving. If we don't, they'll just come right to us, or find a way around this cliff for something."

"Right. Fimbulwinter shouldn't be that far now." Dream began to move again, using the cliff behind him to regain his sense of direction. Thanks to the magic George had used on him his body wasn't hurting as much, but there were still fresh bruises on his body and some cuts here and there from the branches. Being lax for two thousand years had softened him. He was going to have to get used to being hurt again really quick. Sapnap and George followed, Sapnap trying his best to keep up with his older brother and George lagging behind slightly. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"A penny...?" George frowned, confused by the metaphor. "I don't have any 'pennies' on me."

"Ah, my bad. Keldavegrian." Dream tried his best to recall the system of currency Keldavegr used. "Drachma?"

"Dream, drachmas fell out of use five hundred years ago." George sighed, nearly facepalming. "We use pounds."

"I thought pounds were a form of measurement for weight," Dream replied as they soon stepped out of the small thicket of forest and into the bright plains. The night vision potion had worn off, thankfully keeping Dream from straining his eyes. The sunlight provided no escape from outright exposure to the world, and Dream instinctively clenched his bow, wary of how quiet everything was. Even the birds, normally alive with their melodies, were nonexistent. Maybe it was his presence, or the magic from the sigil on his forearm, which he had noticed was starting to pulsate in his skin as if it were calling out back to the fairies. "But alright. Pound for your thoughts?"

"I was thinking about how the broken fae were all together just like that, hunting us down...and they had poison kunais, which are normally used by their debtors for torture." George shuddered at the thought. "It just doesn't add up. Unless you and Sapnap set off some sort of alarm through the whole kingdom, including the nobles, then there shouldn't be so many rebelling like this...unless they were personally sent out, of course. That _would_ explain the regrouping. It seemed like they were working together, after all. Maybe they were all just good friends? That doesn't really make sense though; most of the time debtors forced fairies to beat each other up. Besides, how did they even get those weapons?"

"Beats me." Sapnap shrugged as he brushed through a tall patch of grass, careful to avoid stepping on any flowers nearby. "I didn't know they were still complying with that corrupt hierarchy. I thought after the War Between Heaven and Earth ended, debts were set free and those who were in debt, their wings regrown."

"That's fair. I thought the same, especially since King PinkSheep was written out as one of the most revolutionary kings in history. But then again, he was also written out to be lowkey braindead, so I guess him not doing anything about the debts fits his personality. He did enjoy the suffering of others apparently."

"We both had pretty messed-up kings in our countries," Dream muttered. "It really sucks that Skeppy got assassinated, he was the last good one..."

"Why? What about King Preston? Isn't he alright right now?" George frowned, trying to remember all the kings since the War Between Heaven and Earth. "I heard he does a good job, in comparison to the other kings."

"I mean, I guess." Sapnap shrugged. "Doesn't hide us very well, though. He's also a bit of a coward, so he hardly interacts with people outside of the surrounding castle."

"Maybe he's just scared of the curse you two have. Can't really blame him to be honest, that's technically-ancient magic woven into your existence after all." George stared at the sigil on Sapnap's exposed right arm. "How come one of you have it on your right, and the other on your left?"

"To be honest, I don’t know why it's on my right," Sapnap answered honestly. "I barely got scratched during the war, so I don’t see how it managed to pick that place out of all places it could be."

"A flaming arrow hit my left arm." Dream examined the pitch-black sigil on his arm, small wafts of purple mist emitting off of the etched marks. "Sapnap said the curse came from the fire itself, so I wouldn't be surprised if the same location where my arm got pierced ended up being the location of the sigil."

"Cursed fire, huh?" George frowned as they neared the trees, close to reaching the end of the plains. "The Brazen Hill was set ablaze during the Battle of Flames, right? Wouldn't everyone there be cursed then?"

"Well, they all died," Dream deadpanned, suddenly somber. "I got lucky to make it out alive. Sapnap thought I was dead when it first set on fire."

"Huh. Wonder why they would send cursed fire to the archers, of all places." George plucked a strand of grass in disgust from the ground, flicking it away. "Ugh, how do you guys even live with these plants? Moss is so much better. Grass is just so _itchy_."

"I don’t understand why it was just me and Sapnap getting cursed either. There was smoke and fire everywhere; anyone could have got the curse. So why us two?" Dream questioned particularly to no one. "I can't believe I didn’t ask all these questions for the past two thousand years. Am I just that dumb or something?"

"Maybe it was designed to sniff out royals. We _did_ share blood," Sapnap reminded him. "And maybe you're just too traumatized. I already told you to go visit Bad thousands of times and you still don’t want to."

"Don't blame me! Magic mushrooms are weird." Dream threw his hands up in surrender.

"They're not that bad," a voice spoke up, and Dream immediately tensed, trying to peek through the thicket of trees ahead of them for the location of the voice. "Behind you!"

Dream whirled around, drawing Sinmara as he saw the three new faces standing there only a couple of feet away. In the middle of the trio behind them stood a man, pink hair tousled messily around a gold crown that adorned his head. A traveller's cloak was wrapped around his body, and he held a silver axe in his hand. Bright wings of crimson red and oranges sprouted from his back, covered in a protective steel armor and indicating he was a fairy. Emblemed on his crown was the familiar Keldavegr insignia.

Next to him was another fairy with neatly-trimmed brown hair (in comparison to George at least), with strangely-shaped pitch-black wings, curved like horns and glimmering in the sunlight as if they themselves were made with metal. He had on a loose turtleneck sweater, belts hanging here and there with loads of different daggers coated in a number of liquids, and dull eyes like they were dead. On the other side was a masked figure, wearing an armored-like helmet that was split in green and brown colors with two holes for eyes. They were dressed in less-rich clothing in a strange contrast compared to the other two—simple brown tunic and pants, along with socks and sandals and two kunai on their belt. They seemed to fold into themself as if they were anxious or worried.

The middle fairy narrowed his red eyes the moment they landed on George. "Ah, it's _you._ "

"Prince Technoblade. You never seem to want to leave me alone, do you?" George sighed, raising his lance. "I'm not in the mood to fight today."

"You don't have a choice," Technoblade sneered as he brandished his axe, turning his attention to the other two elves. "And who are these guys? Did you manage to actually make _friends_ with some people? And elves, of all things. I might actually laugh."

"I'm N, and this is D." Sapnap immediately responded, letting his quick thinking take over before George could accidentally give away their real identities. "We met him along the way, and we're heading to Eldingland."

"Oh, really? Interesting how you can so easily trust a fairy. And especially a nightmare fairy, at that." Dream, catching on, feigned surprise at Technoblade's words, his hands clenching Sinmara and an arrow. "We were looking for him, so you can return him to us. He's a wanted criminal."

"We can't do that—"

"My li—Technoblade." The horn-winged fairy narrowed his eyes at Sapnap and Dream. "It's them."

"What do you mean, it's them—" He was promptly interrupted as Dream's arrow narrowly missed his shoulder, and he whirled with his axe in hand, lunging forward. Sapnap drew his blade, blocking the blow from hitting Dream, and Dream immediately formed a Fire spell, launching it at the horn-winged fairy. George, seeing the sudden chaos, went after the masked person, trident in hand as all hell broke loose on the plains.

"What a coincidence to think we'd find all three in the same place!" Technoblade laughed, a grin on his face as he eyed the sigil on Sapnap's shoulder. "The long-lost immortals Sapnap and Dream working with the nightmare fairy George! It's actually kind of reasonable!"

"Back off!" Sapnap hissed as he casted a Bolting, the fast lightning magic unbalancing Technoblade and causing the prince to fall back. Dream's second arrow struck true, piercing through a chink in his wing armor as it tore through the soft flesh. George himself was holding up against both the horn-winged fairy and the masked person, using his magic to deflect the physical attacks from the masked person's dagger and barely missing his thrusts as the trident hardly skimmed the horn-winged fairy.

"Jschlatt," he said with an air of contempt. "Still loyal to Technoblade as always. What did I expect?"

"We're not here to talk," Jschlatt replied calmly as a Wind spell seared the cloth off of the left side of George's cape. "Just bringing you back to get what you deserve."

"If that's the case, then you're an utter fool." George wasted no more time speaking, instead targeting the masked person with his trident.

Meanwhile, Technoblade and the elven duo were dancing, the spells Dream used combined with the aggressive attacks of Sapnap creating a storm around them. Technoblade's axe hit hard, having already nearly knocked out Sapnap just by smacking him with the blunt side. Dream could feel the sigil pulse on his arm, a growing pain searing through his left forearm. He stumbled back, beginning to draw out a teleportation spell.

"You're not going anywhere!" Technoblade rushed towards Dream, hoping to interrupt him, but was intercepted by an Abraxas from Sapnap, which nearly blinded him and caused him to fall back again. Jschlatt was unfortunately occupied with George's ruthlessness, his armor actually being cut up here and there to reveal the midnight hues of his actual wings. "I hate to say this Technoblade, but we got to fall back. We're not prepared."

"Nonsense!" Technoblade continued to spar with Sapnap, who glanced quickly to see that Dream was nearly done with his spell. "Just let me knock them out!"

"Technoblade!" The frightened voice of the masked person caused the prince to actually step away, Sapnap leaving him alone and running towards Dream as George pinned the masked person down, trident at their throat with their dagger a few feet away. Jschlatt, seeing the dire situation, didn't attack in concern that he would actually end up causing his friend to die.

"George, let's go!" Dream waved him over just as Technoblade brought his axe down on George's trident, causing the nightmare fairy to release his hold and barely escape from Jschlatt's clutches. He quickly flew over to Dream's area, getting inside the protective circle that was starting to warp them out of the plains.

"We'll find you! You can’t run forever!" Technoblade's last words became nothing more than a blur as light blinded them all and warped them away from the plains.

_______

"It's freezing," Sapnap immediately commented as soon as they had reappeared on the cliffs.

Just to their luck, there was a bad storm happening just at that moment on the mountains, invisible to the denizens below, and a cold gust of wind threatened to blow all three of them away from where they were on the rocky snow, the ground below them hidden in a layer of fog. Snow fell thickly, weighing down George's wings and their weapons.

"Bad's cave shouldn't be too far," Dream said, his voice nearly lost in the wind. "Come on."

"C-Cold," George shivered, wings instinctively curling inward to shield himself from the blizzard. "It's freezing."

Dream trudged through the snow as Sapnap wrapped his cape around George as best as he could, trying not to put extra weight on his wings. "Your face is turning blue," he said in the distance as Dream forced his way forward, trying to look for the familiar lantern in the fog and whirlwind of snow. The sigil on his arm no longer stung, but he knew he had only gotten away from them temporarily. 

He never really understood how Bad lived in Fimbulwinter, of all places. Considering the fragility of his friend, he had expected him to be living in Eldingland, or the Miraga Valley. But Bad chose Fimbulwinter, the coldest place in all of Osiadira and known for killing numerous fairies and elves just by its harsh temperatures. Either Bad was a lot stronger than he thought, or he was using the cliffs as an excuse not to interact with anybody.

He could now see the lantern, its bright flame a beacon in the cliffs. "We're here!" he yelled, turning around to make sure Sapnap and George were following.

To his surprise, he saw that George was knocked out, breath coming out in very small puffs as Sapnap dragged him up the hill, half-carrying him. "It's too cold out here! Get Bad to let us in!"

"Bad!" Dream stepped forward towards the lantern, finding the dark oak door inside an alcove in the cliff, snow starting to pile on the ground. He knocked three time raptly, and waited. Sapnap soon arrived behind him, struggling to keep George standing. "Why is he so goddamn heavy?"

Dream shrugged as the door swung open to reveal their human friend. Cloaked in his usual fur hood and wearing his charcoal-colored face mask, Bad's white eyes landed on Dream, and then Sapnap and George. He seemed to have just woken up. "What—What are _you guys_ doing here!?"

"Sorry Bad, it's a bit of an emergency." Dream apologized immediately. "Can we come in? We have a lot to talk about."

"Sure. Let me get some medicine for the guy," Bad waved them in as Dream and Sapnap helped each other drag George inside the cave before shutting the door from the blizzard.

_______

"Wilbur, _please—_ "

" _Absolutely not, Preston._ " The fairy emperor's tone was as cold as ice. "You can continue to beg, but these elves are too important to just leave alone. I cannot _believe_ the elf kingdom has been hiding them for decades. What have you even gotten out of protecting them? They are just another nuisance on your hands. Continuing to protest, even though my spies have already located their existence?"

"Wilbur, I am merely keeping up the legacy my family has been keeping for generations." Preston's head hung low as the awkward silence in the near-empty meeting room continued. Woofless stood next to the door, worry in his expression as he watched Wilbur stare down Preston, who seemed to be cracking under the pressure.

"A myth." Wilbur glared at the elf king. "You do not wish to help assist with the Wither as well. It came and burned a village yesterday. Innocent children and fairies were murdered. Some survivors are saying that they had seen elves commanding the Wither with strange magic, and you don't have anything to disprove that."

"You have to believe me!" Preston's head shot up at the notion, frustrating seeping into his expression. "Take my word for it. There are no elves in the kingdom that could possibly even do such a thing, and no one has known about the Wither. _No one!_ "

"What other possibilities are there? The human in the cliffs has not moved an inch from Fimbulwinter. There have been no visitors. Rogues and thieves don't have the knowledge of such a thing." Wilbur turned away, staring out the window. "No, there is no choice. It must have been one of your men. To think that you would undermine our friendship like this..."

"Woah, hold on. You're jumping to conclusions now!" Preston shook his head in bewilderment. "Are you really going to act based on something without plausible evidence?"

"The accounts of the survivors are already enough. You aren't concerned about my heir either, it seems. I thought we could negotiate. But it seems your kingdom is built on a legacy of lies and half-truths." Wilbur stared down at Preston, his eyes full of hollow mirth. "Hiding war criminals is a universal crime. Combined with the apathy for the fairy empire and the lack of attention to my family as well as the accusation that the nobles' ancestors killed Skeppy—"

"Accusations!?" Preston seemed even more disbelieving as Wilbur went on.

"Don't play dumb," Wilbur spat. "For the last and final time, we did not kill Skeppy and there is no proof for any of that."

"I don't even know what' you're talking about!" Preston threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. "You're just being irrational now!"

"Fine. But even without the accusations, harboring war criminals is already enough incentive." Wilbur drew his rapier from its sheath, pointing it at Preston so quickly that the elf king nearly fell. Woofless prepared his whip, but Preston held up a hand, and his retainer backed off slightly.

"You wouldn't," Preston muttered. "You _wouldn't."_

"We may have a combined enemy against the Wither, but to stop that Wither, I'll need to stop you first." Wilbur was eye-level to Preston, his rapier glimmering in the sunlight. "It's about time the ridiculousness of the elf kingdom ways are banished. Our systems do not seem to work together. Our economies are both starting to fail. There must be a revolution."

"Wilbur, I—you're crazy. We were literally friends only an hour ago!" Preston's eyes darted between Wilbur and Woofless, debating whether to make a run for it or stand his ground. He had recognized the stance right away—it was common Osiadiran tradition for royalty to do such a thing. But against him, in his lifetime—he would have never imagined.

"Our friendship is over, Preston." Wilbur's voice was hollow.

"You're insane. You're actually insane." Preston shook his head in disbelief.

_"This is war."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always! thank you guys for reading i love you all!


	6. Fimbulwinter's Glare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio find refuge in Bad's home, and Technoblade's group learn about the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i made fanart! you can find them on my twitter (@cordeliasept); its not the best but i tried :D
> 
> 1000 HITS EVERYONE! BLESS YOUR SOULS! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING HUMAN BEINGS! I LOVE YOU GUYS!  
> this chapters a bit short but i wanted to get it out quickly woops
> 
> this chapter's heavy in dialogue and can be a bit boring, sorry about that :(  
> some torture mentions in here, nothing detailed but they’re generally said
> 
> song inspo: [fe3h - beyond the crossroads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Zyi-rz2tU)

"Will he be alright?" Dream stared at the nightmare fairy, watching as Bad held up a candle to the tip of George's wings to melt the ice that had begun to freeze the wing. As if adverse to the flame, the ice nearly whiffed the thin light out, and Bad grimaced as he lit another flame at the tip of his finger, trying again. This time, the ice complied, and melted away into a puddle on the wooden floor. Bad carefully bent the wing, ensuring no nerves had been cut off, and nodded. "I managed to stop the worst of it. He'll wake up soon, but for now let's keep him near the fireplace."

Dream glanced over at Sapnap, who understood the hint. "I'll carry him over." Dream smiled at his half-brother gratefully as Sapnap rolled his eyes in response before helping Bad pick up George and carry him near the fireplace at the other end of the cave. Once they had laid him down on the rug next to it, Bad turned to the elf brothers with an eyebrow raised.

"So what happened _this_ time?" Bad frowned, concern flickering at the edge of his eyes. "And how did you not get caught with both of you guys out of the cabin? I get if Sapnap was alone since the curse isn't as strong on him, but _both of you?_ Right next to each other? We're lucky that no one wants to come up here."

"Yeah, it's a bit of a dire situation right now." Dream apologized, glancing over again at George to see if the fairy was alright. He didn't understand why he was so concerned, but he didn't feel like pondering on it now. He had to explain everything to Bad. "In a very, very condensed summary—"

"Don't give me a nutshell; just tell me everything." Bad shook his hand, holding his hand up to interrupt Dream. "Clearly if both of you guys are here it must be important."

"Okay, okay." Dream sighed, running a hand through his hair to adjust his headband before continuing on (what was a "nutshell" anyways? He never really understood Bad's slang). "The fairy here is George; he made it through our barrier—"

" _WHAT!?_ " Bad's eyes widened as he nearly shouted at the top of his lungs, eyes darting to the unconscious fairy. "How!? I thought that barrier was fortified by generations of magic!"

"Yeah, I was surprised too," Dream grumbled. "Either way, he's a nightmare fairy. He's a wanted criminal in Keldavegr."

"You're harboring a criminal now? That's new," Bad mused, swiftly avoiding a playful slap from Sapnap (who somehow seemed a bit more lighthearted about the entire situation). "What could he have done to get an eye of ender, though? Must have been really bad. He seems familiar..."

"Left the continent and came back." Sapnap shrugged, digging through his pack to pull out a water canteen. "Similar to your situation, except he's a fairy so people aren't as scared as him."

"Yeah, but aren’t nightmare fairies endangered or something?" Bad sighed, the face mask over the lower half of his face muffling his words slightly. "Anyways, go on. I'll stop interrupting."

"So apparently while he was somewhere else, he picked up unknown magic, kind of how you know magic that’s completely foreign here. Since he's a nightmare fairy, which are already powerful according to Sapnap, and he had forbidden information, they locked him up or something—" Dream faltered when he saw the flicker of recognition in Bad's eyes. "I almost forgot! This is the—"

"—same guy I broke out of the prison!" Bad finished his sentence for him, staring at George now with understanding. "That explains a lot...I mean, I didn’t know he had left the continent and came back. I just had this gut feeling that he was important. Maybe we practice the same kind of magic—though I don’t know any magic that would help me break through your cabin barrier though."

"Why'd you break him out?" Sapnap frowned. "Did you really let him go because you had a 'gut feeling'?"

"Er, yeah?" Bad shrugged, and Sapnap facepalmed. Bad tried to give him a sheepish smile, which was pointless because his mouth was covered, but the crinkle in his eyes indicated he had attempted a try. "I was trying to find ducks—the water around the Keldavegr castle is especially fresh, so I figured they would be more likely to migrate over there. I know you guys don’t have those here, but I still had hopes..."

"You and your duck obsession." Dream shook his head. "Okay, so I guess we all met George. Anyways, he comes through our barrier, using some magic he learned from who-knows-where, and turns out this fairy is the descendant of the same fairy that tried to mind-control me at the Battle of Flames." Bad inhaled sharply, nodding grimly as Dream continued on. "Anyways, he's running from Keldavegr, we're hiding from the entirety of Osiadira—the enemy of our technically-enemy is our friend. He didn't know about the curse, obviously, but we decided to tell him so he would be forced to stay with us. Either way, he's incredibly powerful, and we're trying to find a way to stop the curse now."

"Okay, I get that...but what happened? You three are all injured!" Bad began to fuss over the two elves, glancing at their cuts and bruises. "I mean, I get you guys are immortal, but sometimes you two have very self-destructive behavior! As a human, I know all about being fragile, and you guys really shouldn't be throwing yourself into crazy situations."

"Well, it was inevitable. We were heading to you either way, because we needed some time. Staying at the cabin would have been suicide." Dream paused to reminisce over his old life, before going on. "Some broken fae attacked us; we had to jump down a cliff to escape. Then we ran into the fairy royalty themselves—or at least, the prince."

"Prince Technoblade? What was he doing out there?" Bad frowned. "Why's he outside of Keldavegr anyway? Isn't he supposed to be sticking by King Wilbur and doing other things?"

"No clue, though I think he was probably trying to capture us. Mostly George, but us as well. He had two other people with him—a fairy with horn-like wings and some masked person," Sapnap chimed.

"Oh, the horn-winged fairy is Jschlatt. He's Technoblade's retainer and an enigma of sorts, always lurking behind Technoblade like a hawk. They're basically attached to the hip." When Bad saw the confusion on the elves' faces, he sighed. "Another metaphor, sorry. It means they're always seen together. I have no idea who the other person is, though."

"It's fine. We had to run away—we only made it because George managed to hold down the masked person as a temporary hostage. I used a teleportation spell to get us here, and now here we are." Dream waved his arms around, finishing the story. Bad seemed to be deep in thought about the whole situation, tapping his chin.

"What's going on?" A croaked-out groan escaped George as he slowly broke out of his unconsciousness, his wings twitching to regain the feeling back. He glanced at the fire, then at the elves and Bad, and his eyes widened. "It's you!"

"Good seeing you again." Bad waved. "You alright? Stay near the fireplace; the blizzard almost started freezing your wings off."

"I'm okay; is there water?" George was promptly handed Sapnap's canteen, and he took a couple of sips before eyeing Bad. "I never got to properly thank you, you know."

"You don't need to." Bad frowned, staring at George's wings. "I never knew you were a pure-blood nightmare fairy. There's not a lot of you guys left."

"I know." George handed the canteen back to Sapnap before glancing around Bad's cave. "Nice humble abode."

Dream couldn't argue with that. Bad's cave was nothing short of welcoming, with the dark oak floors covered here and there with a multitude of rugs and carpets, intertwining in a multitude of reds and oranges. The ceiling was lit with magic lanterns that seemed to bounce in the air as if they had a life of their own. Near the fireplace there was a bed, made of wood and covered in red sheets, as well as a desk nearby littered with papers and splattered with ink. Cabinets lined the side of the other wall, and there was a closet with a number of clothes folded neatly in piles. It almost reminded him of the cabin— _almost_.

"It took a while to get used to." Bad rose from where he was sitting. "So let me get this straight—you three are running away from Keldavegr in order to try and find a way to stop the curse?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Sapnap summarized.

"I—what made you guys change your mind?" Bad frowned. "This is just so sudden..."

"I mean, if it were only me and Sapnap, we would never be able to break the curse." Dream clenched his left arm, the sigil starting to throb. "George is descended from the nightmare fairy that nearly killed me a long time ago, so we could be connected in some way. Also, he probably has the power to help us break the curse."

"Okay, let me get this straight." Bad held his hands up in some sort of gesture, trying to figure everything out. "So you left the cabin because you're putting your trust in a fairy that's not only a criminal, but his ancestor nearly killed you 2000 years ago. You have no idea if he's gonna do the same thing now, but you think he can break your curse so you're dragging him along?"

"You said it," Sapnap agreed.

"Oh my god." Bad facepalmed. "On top of that, you ran into Technoblade, the literal prince of Keldavegr, and fought with him and his gang, possibly exposing your whereabouts—and escaped by running to me?"

"Yep." George seemed unfazed by the fact that Bad had just implied he could betray the elves at any moment.

"Are you _serious!?_ " Bad shook his head. "Okay, you know what? Lemme join you guys."

"Wait, really? Are you sure?" Dream shot up from his sitting position, eyes wide. "You're a human, Bad. I appreciate the concern, but we don’t want to endanger you too. This is gonna sound a bit harsh, but you're not like us. Sapnap and I have physical strength, George has magic proficiency beyond human comprehension...you're a human. You don't have the best reputation either—joining us will destroy your relationship with both countries."

"Look, if you really didn't want to endanger me, you wouldn't have come here in the first place," Bad pointed out, and Dream glanced away guiltily. "But I want to help you guys. I feel bad just sitting here in this cave, not being able to help your situation because I'm just, you know...too weak. Now that you guys say you have a chance, I want in on it as well. I don't care if they cast me out afterwards. You guys are my only friends; I'll risk it."

"Bad..." Sapnap sighed. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"One of the strongest human traits is their ability to make such impulsive decisions. Of course I know I'm an idiot!" Bad seemed to grin from under his mask. "You can't change my mind now. I'm coming with you guys."

"Father Sky, humans are crazy," George muttered under his breath, earning a laugh from Bad.

_______

"He's starting a war?" Technoblade sharpened his axe on a whetstone, sitting on the rocks at the edge of a pond in the stretch of plains where he had just sparred with Dream.

_Dream. Sapnap. George._

They were working together, no doubt about that. He found it interesting that George would actually decide to team up with someone, especially considering how much of a sneaky bastard the fairy was. It was even weirder that he had managed to team up with the two elves the kingdom had been hunting for eternity. It had only been one fight, but he would need to be much more careful the next time. TapL had nearly died and they had just gotten out of the kingdom.

"Yeah. I saw the soldiers just comb through the woods on the cliff above. They didn't see us, thankfully, but we need to move soon or they'll run into us soon enough. No doubt that Wilbur's looking for you," TapL said. "Probably to drag you into the war."

"No thanks." Technoblade shrugged, putting away the whetstone. "I personally think it's a very bad idea to start a war. I know he's always been so adamant on changing Osiadira, but I didn't expect for him to do it so soon."

"Come to think of it...how is Wilbur even your father? He's only about seven years older than you, and there was nothing about his childhood indicating he was impregnated so early." TapL frowned, pacing the ground as he rubbed his neck, trying to brush away the phantom pain of a trident's sharp prongs nearly skewering his throat.

Technoblade didn't respond. He stared at the water, his red eyes filled with conflict and solemnity. He then sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you the truth. Just don't go spilling it out everywhere."

"I wouldn't; I don't have any friends besides you and Jschlatt." TapL's pitch-black eyes shone through the thin slits in his mask, watching Technoblade.

"Okay. Truth is, Wilbur's my older cousin." Technoblade continued to stare at the water, voice laced with bitterness. "He was never supposed to be king; his older brother was the prince. When King JackSucksAtLIfe contracted a life-threatening illness, his older brother went to check up on their dad constantly. Wilbur was so adamant on following his brother, wanting to be by his side. We used to hang out a lot, but it was like his family was stealing him from me. I can't blame him, though—that was his closer family, and I was just a distant cousin. Either way, his older brother got the illness too, and Wilbur was forced to stay away from them. He seemed really miserable about it. Anyways, his dad dies, his older brother dies, and suddenly Wilbur's the king. He didn't have a heir, but a lot of people don't know our family tree, and I was basically in peasant status because my part of the family got disowned for some reason. Wilbur found me again and we made an agreement that I would pretend to be his son and take the throne if anything bad happened to him. Surprised no one really questioned it."

"Oh." TapL seemed speechless, not really sure what to say. He stared at the ground. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for something that had nothing to do with you. It's alright. I just didn't expect for him to start a war. Doing that right now is an insane idea." Technoblade shook his head, rising from the rocks. "If leaving the kingdom means leaving the war, I'm down. I'm still kind of pissed at him for leaving me when I needed him most."

"If he wants to control all of Osiadira, what will he do to the lower class?" TapL shuddered, moving his hands here and there to try and combat more phantom pains from previous torments of the nobility—a whip to his back, sweating from the overuse of magic, shaking hands from when he was forced to bludgeon one of them to save himself. "I don't want that kind of future where Wilbur just lets the nobles do what they want freely."

"Yeah. I can't believe he enforced the discrimination rules even more. It's disgusting. We may be royals, but we're fairies just like you. He seems to never know or understand that." Technoblade glanced around. "Jschlatt!"

"Yeah?" Jschlatt hovered over from where he had been scouting from high above, settling down on the ground.

"Are they heading to Keldavegr?" Technoblade asked.

"Pretty much. The first wave of soldiers are gone. I don't know if Wilbur himself is going to join the fight or not." Jschlatt shrugged.

"Well, that settles it. Come on guys!" Technoblade rolled his shoulders, stretching, before strapping his axe onto his back. "We need to find George and the elf brothers."

"I thought the war was more concerning?" TapL seemed confused as he tried to catch up with Technoblade. Jschlatt didn’t question anything and began moving.

"It is, but revenge on these guys are much sweeter than some old beef with my cousin. Now come on!" Technoblade waved, and the fairy trio began to move again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments appreciated! we got some character development here :D


	7. Beneath the Flames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preston prepares to enter the fight himself, the four learn about the war and find a new lead on to how to get rid of the curse, and the first major battle officially begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE THOUSAND AND THREE HUNDRED HITS! I LOVE YOU GUYS very much omg thank you for reading this incredibly wacky story that came out of nowhere  
> theres a bit more filler here but we get some nice stuff! reading through this and everything, it really makes me proud that im getting some actual writing done  
> this chapter is back to normal length, thank god
> 
> song inspo: [fe sov - the air of brutality](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7BhnmNooJM)

"Evacuate the outer villages, bring them towards the castle and near the coastline." Preston waved his arms at the messengers, pacing back and forth in the throne room. "Start fortifying the borders and get General Vikkstar123 and Lachlan to rally the east and west armies. Send one of them to Miraga Valley, and another to defend the Dyslor Plains—we can _not_ let them capture the plains! Push them back to the Sólbjǫrgvǫllr Forest as best as we can. Chances are they've already made it to the forest. It's a risky gamble, but they will definitely not circumvent it. And for Father Sky's sake, someone get Woofless!"

"Yes, your Majesty!" The messengers quickly bowed, leaving the throne room to reenter the castle that was in a wild panic. Soon after their meeting, Preston had teleported back to Hyllifold immediately and announced an emergency, calling for everyone willing and able to fight to join the ranks of the long-unused army. The cities closest to the castle were hurriedly preparing for a war, getting ready to ration anything and giving as much as they could offer to the kingdom to help supply the military. The farther villages were being evacuated from the borders, sent towards the coast where they were the farthest from Keldavegr.

"You called?" Woofless popped his head into the throne room, and Preston sighed in relief. "Thank god you're here. It's going to be dangerous from here on out, so if you don't want to be in this war, I can send you to the coast as well—"

"Oh hell no!" Woofless shook his head vigorously. "You're my friend Preston, and I know you weren't trained for a war. So I gotta help you out here so that Hyllifold doesn't fall to Keldavegr."

"Yeah. Yeah, right." Preston took a shaky breath, confusion stricken on his face. "I just don't understand. Why does Wilbur want all of this? He wants to change everything, but does he really have to start a war to reach these goals?"

"I know you're a diplomatic person, but trying to reason with Wilbur is out of the question." Woofless shuddered. "He's always seemed a bit crazy."

"Yeah, fair enough." Preston began to head out of the throne room to get upstairs, Woofless quickly following. "If he's fighting alongside the army, I might have to join in too."

"Preston..." Woofless seemed to be hanging back a bit, and Preston stopped in the middle of the stairway, glancing back. "Actually, let's get somewhere private first."

"Alright." Preston began going up the stairs much more quickly, Woofless quickly following as they passed by medics and guards. He finally reached his private chambers, slamming the door behind Woofless, and began hurriedly packing clothes and his most prized possessions in a satchel. "What is it?"

"Have you lied to everyone this entire time? That Sapnap just went missing and was presumed dead?" Woofless gazed out the window, watching the denizens below prepare for a war. "I didn't even know he had a brother. I thought Sapnap was an only child."

"They're half-siblings. Same mother, different fathers." Preston took one of the crowns from a shelf, placing it in a wrapped cloth. "Dream was born first to a fletcher, and his mother was an artisan. Sapnap was born a year after. Apparently Dream's father was killed when he was younger, and his mother was taken in by one of the at-the-time king's sons, who fell in love with her and she bore another child. Since that son wasn't a prince, the mother decided to raise both of them equally as common folk, falling out with Sapnap's father. Sapnap has royal blood; Dream doesn’t."

"But if I remember correctly, the prince's siblings all died. That would include Sapnap's dad, right?" Woofless helped Preston wrap the satchel around his robes.

"Yes. When Prince Skeppy became king, he didn't have a heir in mind. He was coronated early, so he was still new to being a ruler. He never learned that Sapnap was his nephew." Preston finished wrapping everything, straightening his shoulders as if the weight of his duties weren't crushing him inside. "It's been tradition for every king to keep the two elves a secret. I'm not really allowed to give the reason why. I just can't believe that the fairies found them. I made sure that barrier was secure! How could they have found them? Unless..."

"They left?" Woofless suggested.

Preston opened the doors, heading back the way they had came. "I wish I could suggest anything else, but I guess that's exactly what happened."

"Then it's best we find them. And you owe a lot of people after this an explanation, if— _when_ we make it out alive."

"Way to being optimistic, Woofless," Preston mumbled, and he ran down the stairs, ready for a war to begin.

_______

Dream was thankful for the existence of grass as he rematerialized on solid ground, a slightly-cold breeze blowing his direction as the winds from Fimbulwinter above him continued on with their chaotic storm. George soon appeared, followed by Sapnap, and then Bad. "Where are we going to even go first?"

"Hmm...maybe somewhere where we can get help in removing the curse?" Bad suggested. "You guys might want to get a proper cleansing or something first. I mean, you're fresh from being two thousand years long gone. Judging from my recent letters, it doesn't seem like the curse had gotten worse from the last time."

"Actually, while we were fighting Technoblade, the sigil flared up," Dream replied, and Bad's eyes widened. "Sapnap, did you feel it too, or was it just me?"

"Might have just been you. The sigil was throbbing, but not literally glowing." Sapnap frowned, checking his right arm. "How bad did it hurt?"

"Like my arm was about to fall off," Dream answered casually, unknowing of how stressed he was making Bad. The human paced back and forth, thinking deeply.

"It might have reacted because you were so close to a fairy, not to mention one of royalty at that. The best place to get cleansed is a temple. Most temples are controlled by fae, but..." George frowned, thinking, before his eyes lit up. "Maybe we can go to an elf temple? If I recall correctly, there should be one near the Ialosian Plains in the east."

"That's a good idea!" Bad perked up at George's suggestion. "What do you guys think?"

"I mean, we have to get there somehow without running into Technoblade again," Sapnap untied his white headband, letting his stark black bangs fall in his eyes. "We may outnumber them this time, but I have a bad feeling that if we run into them one of us is going to get captured or something. We'll have to circumvent a lot. And we shouldn't risk using teleportation spells anymore. They're efficient, but they're also really flashy, and even in this forest there's no guarantee that Technoblade hasn't seen us come down already."

"Sapnap, you're such a mom," Bad teased, Sapnap rolling his eyes in response. "Alright, we'll be careful. No teleportation spells unless absolutely necessary! George, are you going to lead the way?"

"Sure," George agreed. His eyes flickered to Dream, who was staring at the ground instead. "Dream, you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine." Dream absentmindedly rubbed his left forearm, worried that the sigil would flare up around George. He felt incredibly guilty—George hadn't done anything wrong to them, and yet he couldn't bring himself to trust the nightmare fairy. If he trained his eyes on George for too long, he could see his ancestor in his place, ready to turn around and control his mind without warning, taking him back to Keldavegr to face possible torture and definitely death. His time had passed a long time ago, and yet he still didn't want to leave the world. Now that he could try and fix things, he had to at least make an attempt to trust George—but it was just so _difficult_. "Let's go."

"Okay...this way, I think." George began walking in a direction, and the rest of the group followed. Bad hung around George, questioning the fairy about what kind of fairy he was and what he normally did for a living. Sapnap hung in the back alongside Dream, tying his headband back up into his hair as he examined Dream.

"Your headband is crooked," Sapnap murmured, and Dream adjusted the gold headband on his head accordingly, brushing some of his hair off the wing accessories. "The headband was a parting gift from the queen, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. She was the only person—besides you and A6D, of course—who ever recognized me as a valuable warrior. Most of the nobility looked down upon me became I had commoner blood, and thought that it was unfair that your birth ended up bringing me into the royal family." Dream carefully ran his finger along a gold wing, a nail accidentally scratching some of the metal off. He glanced at the bits on his fingernail, the gold on it lacking its luster from many years ago. "She didn't care about the monarchy back then. She saw me for my fighting skill, not for my blood or my status. Oh, that reminds me—" Dream paused, reaching for his pouch, before pulling out the mask he had found before. "I can't seem to remember when I got this."

"It's...a mask?" Sapnap frowned, staring at it. Dream carefully handed the mask to him, and Sapnap turned it back and forth, examining the rotten leather band and the corroded metal of the mask itself. "Did you make this?"

"I think so. It was when I was younger. I can't remember how I made it or why I made it." Dream stared at the mask. "The weird thing is that it seemed to grow as I got bigger. It still fits me now, though it won't hold because the band is frayed."

"Maybe there's magic infused in it. I don't recognize this...you probably made it when I wasn't looking." Sapnap frowned. "Do you think your father made it for you?"

"I don't even know my dad," Dream replied, voice heavy. "He died before you were born, and I don't remember anything from when I was one year old. Mom said he was a fletcher though...that's where my love for archery came from."

"Maybe we can restore it while we travel," Sapnap suggested, handing the mask back to Dream and placing it in the pouch. "It would help to hide your identity more if we have to cross through a town or a village."

"Sure." Dream stepped over a stream, half-listening to Bad and George's conversation, half-paying attention the world around him. Not much had changed, though some of the trees were unrecognizable to him. The forest brimmed with some wildlife, squirrels running about and dragonflies hovering around the stream, probably communicating with the will-o-wisps. Bad was telling George about what humans were like, and how they were much more weaker than fae or elven.

"You still don't trust George." Sapnap spoke out of nowhere, startling Dream slightly as his pace slowed even more. "That's what's been bugging you, right?"

Dream didn't respond, and Sapnap scoffed. "So I _was_ right. Huh. I'm not surprised, considering the backstory. Under normal circumstances, I would've not trusted him either."

"Then what? Are you trusting him now?" Dream asked, feeling slightly angry that Sapnap was bugging him about it. "I can get why you're so willing to understand him and trust him, but this is the same guy whose ancestor nearly killed me. I nearly died two thousand years ago and I only got lucky because he let me go. What if after this, he's going to take control of my mind? I'm not as vulnerable as I used to be. I can't trust him. Not until the curse is gone."

"Dream, I—look. We're both in a very precarious position right now. Everything that we're doing is risky. With that in mind, you gotta understand that George is literally our only hope. And we need to trust him to keep his word on helping us. The least that we can do is build trust between each other." Sapnap crossed his arms.

"Alright, fine. I'll try to make an attempt. But no guarantees." Dream rolled his eyes, wanting to get Sapnap out of his own business. Thankfully, the remainder of the travel remained peacefully tranquil, and Dream was able to clear his mind.

_______

"Hello?" Dream knocked on the door of the temple, waiting for an answer. George stood uncomfortably close to him, hovering in the air to see over Dream's shoulder. Sapnap stood next to Dream, having wrapped his right arm with a cloth to hide the sigil. Bad was behind them, on the lookout for anyone coming by.

The temple itself was made out of stone, covered in vines and leaves like it had never been properly cleaned. The entryway to the temple was slightly musty and mold was growing on the hinges. A lantern was lit above the entrance, late afternoon shining right on it and rendering it useless.

"George, maybe you should hide. We're near Hyllifold so you probably shouldn't be standing out so much," Sapnap whispered. "Also, are you sure this is the right place?"

"I've been here before. There _are_ inhabitants here, trust me. Don't worry about my wings; the priest here took care of me. He's blind, so he doesn't know I'm a fairy." George murmured back quietly. Dream continued to watch the entrance, waiting.

After a couple of minutes, right when Dream was about to suggest they move on, the door swung open and an old man wrapped in robes and covered in a hood shuffled forward, ears indicating they were an elf. "Who's there?"

"It's me, George." George spoke up. He raised a finger to his lips, and Dream and Sapnap both stayed quiet.

"Ah...I remember you. I'm sorry, but I can't stay here, nor give you shelter. I am leaving the temple." The old man shook his head fervently.

"What? Why?" George's eyes widened.

"King Preston has ordered all the sickly, diseased, old and child elves to evacuate to the coast. There is a war beginning between Keldavegr and Hyllifold, and he wants to keep us all safe." The old man sighed, nearly doubling over in a coughing fit. Dream and Sapnap stepped back as quietly as they could, both staring at each other horrified at the news.

"It's urgent, please!" George begged. "I need help; I'm trying to get a cleansing."

"No can do, George," the man wheezed. "My time is nearly come. If you want to visit a priest who will still be in their temple...you may want to head to Ph1lza's. He's a fairy, so he may be more experienced to help you. Keldavegr is evacuating as well, but he doesn't like to follow rules, so I guarantee he will be there."

"I—how did you—but—" George stammered, unable to speak.

"H-Here." The man shuffled back into the darkness of the temple, reappearing a moment later to hold out a map. "I know you have friends with you; I can hear their footsteps. Please take the map, one of you. It will lead to the temple."

Dream hesitated before taking the parchment of paper. Unfurling the scroll he examined the magic map, the contents outlined in a shiny white ribbon. A redstone trail indicated a route straight to Ph1lza's temple, up high in the northwest near the coast.

"Good...now I must go back and get ready to leave. Goodbye, George." The man coughed into his elbow. "Stay safe during the war." The man shuffled inside, and the temple door swung shut, scattering a couple of spiders crawling on it.

Dream held the scroll in his hand, a horrified gaze on his face. Memories of the War Between Heaven and Earth flashed in his mind—his ruthless training, the Battle of Flames, being looked down upon in the kingdom, A6D's death, the mind control on his brain—

"AughHHHHHHH!" He clutched his head, dropping the map and screaming. Sapnap caught the map, whirling towards Dream with panic. "Dream! Dream, calm down!"

"It's happening all over again. Another war. Another one. Why!? WHY!?" Tears welled up in Dream's eyes, his body shaking. George reached out tentatively, hesitating, before retracting his hand. Bad rushed over from his spot, placing his hands on Dream's cheeks.

"Dream, nobody in Hyllifold knows you exist except for King Preston. He wouldn't risk calling you back to fight. If we can just avoid the battles, we'll be alright." Bad wiped off a tear with his thumb. "Right now, we need to get that curse off of you and Sapnap. We need to head to Ph1lza or whatever-his-name-is' temple."

Dream closed his eyes, trying his best to will the visions away. The past was still haunting him, trying to grab at the crevices of his mind, but he began to build a mental wall inside himself. Bad was right—if he was just careful, he could avoid this war entirely. He just needed to get to Ph1lza's temple without encountering any battles or Technoblade. "Okay," he whispered. "Okay." He forced his eyes open, and focused on the world around him to keep him grounded in reality—the sound of birds chirping, the buzzing of dragonflies, George's entire existence. George. George was real, Sapnap and Bad were real and he couldn't think of himself inside the war 2,000 years ago anymore.

"Are we ready to go?" George asked, worry evident in his face.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Let's go."

_______

"Soldiers! At the ready!" Vikkstar123's voice rang throughout the ranks, his Draconic wyvern roaring to raise the spirits of the soldiers. He hoisted himself higher up into the air, where he could see the arriving army of Keldavegr marching onto the Dyslor Plains from the left, arriving from the forest. In the front, Vikkstar123 could see the general of the Keldavegr army—a fairy with gauntlets, adorning jet-black steel armor on their wings and the sash of the general ranks wrapped around their shoulder. Upon closer inspection, it was a male, and one that he knew all too well. Some of the soldiers shifted nervously, worried at the sheer force of the fairy army heading towards them, and Vikkstar123 noticed immediately the quickly-falling morale of the army.

"Stand your ground!" Vikkstar123 yelled, settling his wyvern on the ground temporarily as he readied his halberd. "We are defending Hyllifold and keeping the Keldavegrians from turning Osiadira into a wasteland. No matter what, we must fight brazenly to our last breath. Stall for time; continue to fight no matter what! This is for our future!"

The army was silent for a moment, before a rallying cheer rang throughout the ranks. Vikkstar123 smiled to himself before taking flight again and meeting the fairy general in between the armies. His Draconic roared as the general hovered in the air, wings fluttering slightly.

"Vikkstar123. Shame we have to meet this way." The general's lip curled.

"CaptainSparklez. A bit depressing this is how we meet, but I've heard a lot about you and your feats." Vikkstar123 nodded curtly, raising his halberd. "I'll make sure you don't have a chance to make it through."

"Then I'll have to cut my path across your grave." CaptainSparklez raised his fist in the air. "Are you ready to die?"

"Doesn't matter if I'm ready. It only matters when." Vikkstar123 narrowed his eyes. "And I don't intend to die today."

"I'll have to change that then." CaptainSparklez turned back around to his army, Vikkstar123 doing the same, and the two returned to their armies before staring off at each other once again on the plains. For a moment, there was tense silence.

And then, CaptainSparklez's voice. "CHARGE!"

"You know what to do, everyone." Vikkstar123 nodded at the army, taking flight amongst the pegasus knights and raising his halberd. "FOR HYLLIFOLD!"

The two sides ran and caved into each other like a tidal wave, the plains lit alight with magic spells and the screams of the unfortunate—the war having officially begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> reading this, i always wonder how we manage to get from soft cottagecore to heavy war angst
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always! i love you guys <3, thank you for the massive support!
> 
> note: my updates might start getting slower, maybe from 2-3 days to 4-5? idk im still planning a lot of this out


	8. Mother's Daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle at the Dyslor Plains takes an unexpected turn. Technoblade makes a discovery, and the four make their way to Ph1lza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my sister told me that i'm not a writer and said i couldn't be a good author...so im writing this just to spite her  
> thank you guys for the comments and kudos, they're very sweet of y'all! 1500 hits!  
> i changed the name of the spell "fimbulvetr" to "rexcalibur" btw; the latter is typically a wind spell but in some adaptations its also fimbulvetr in the older games, so here it's an advanced ice spell  
> theres violence in this chapter and some dark backstory but tbh, if you're already this far into the book you should expect these things lol
> 
> song inspo: [fe3h - roar of dominion (rain/thunder mix)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLv9J1u5dRM), [fe sov - a song for bygone days](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xx0o7Bcol4)

"N-No!" The guttural cry of an elf soldier fell on deaf ears as they were speared in the chest, blood splattering everywhere in the already-soaked ground. The fairy that had just shot them with a Thoron spell smiled to themself, before another elf cleanly sliced their wing through a chink in their armor, following up with a Wind spell that caused the fairy to imbalance themself. Their battle was just one small one among many as the Dyslor Plains welcomed the familiarity of battle back in its arms.

Vikkstar123 barely managed to swipe a clean cut at a fairy, his wyvern diving down towards the ground as he began to form a Rexcalibur in his left hand. Casting it in the midst of a battalion of fairies, he ignored the screams and cries of the fairies' wings being covered in ice as they were forced back on foot. The sun was dropping towards the horizon, bathing the battlefield in a soft warm glow that (in his opinion) was highly unfitting for the chaos at hand. Around him, people from both sides were dying, his own numbers scattered whilst the fairies had tight formations. He knew he had nothing to complain about; King Preston had to hurry and send him and Lachlan out before Keldavegr reached the border. It was an evil strategy, immediately rushing to try and catch them off guard—but it had worked out well, whether or not Preston had predicted it.

"Stand your ground!" He dodged a volley of arrows from a number of archers, rushing down to take them out. "Don't let them through!"

The army was doing their best, and yet it seemed it wasn't enough. As Vikkstar123 flew around the battlefield, he noticed that his own forces were being pushed back towards the hills and forests. The fairy forces seemed to never end, and wave after wave of fae continued to pummel the elves to the ground. The dirt continued to be kicked up thanks to a number of wind spells, puddles of mud here and there from melted ice magic. There were a couple of fires, namely on people, and the noises of screams, metal, and elements being thrown about was dizzying. He scanned the battlefield for the one person he had lost track of, slicing cleanly through a fairy archer's bow as his wyvern took flight again. A Bolganone spell collapsed where he had been just moments prior, sending the area up in a blaze. He rose higher to avoid the licks of the flames, forming an Aura spell in his palm.

In the distance, amongst the crowd of iron-clad warriors, was the flicker of a yellow cape, temporarily flying upwards as a wind spell pushed back three elves at once. Sword in hand, the figure brandished its weapon before bringing it down on the nearest elf—

—only to meet with the glowing crystal of Vikkstar123's halberd. His wyvern took to the skies, attacking on its own as the three elves turned their attention elsewhere. Vikkstar123 managed to barely push back the blunt weight of the sword before releasing Aura, engulfing the fairy in a pillar of white light.

"CaptainSparklez, huh?" Vikkstar123 muttered to himself as the laser beams of light magic were barely deflected in all directions with the fairy general's sword. As the pillar dissipated, CaptainSparklez came out unscathed, and his lip curled before he rushed forward, sword in hand to meet the elf general.

Vikkstar123 met his blade gladly. Their first clash ended in a matter of seconds as Vikkstar123 drew back only to thrust forward with the spearpoint of his halberd. CaptainSparklez dodged fairly easily, swinging back at him for a counterattack. The speed of his sword didn't give Vikkstar123 enough time to parry with his weapon, and he raised his shield, the impact of the blow causing his stature to waver. A quick Fire spell drove off the fairy, but CaptainSparklez did not hesitate to attack, over and over again. With one easy swipe at Vikkstar123's chest, a thin cut bloomed, the elf stumbling backwards in response. He took his halberd with two hands and blocked the finishing blow with the handle of the halberd, silently praying it wouldn't break.

"You're not as experienced as I thought you would be," CaptainSparklez commented, his demeanor wistful despite their duties and responsibilities.

"When there's been no war your entire life, you're bound to get rusty sometimes." Vikkstar123 hated to admit it, but he was never really a fighter. Should he have to enter a battle, he would prefer to think things out strategically, rather than rush headfirst into the battlefield and die right away. It wasn't that he was a coward, he just didn't want to fight people without a fair advantage. He presumed that this particular battle was going so badly only because he was never one for defensive tactics.

"Fair." CaptainSparklez fired a Thunder spell, and Vikkstar123 rolled to the side to avoid the lightning coming down from above. His shield deflected most of the stray thunderbolts, and he got to his feet as quickly as he could, whistling for his wyvern. "Keep pushing! We're close!"

"What!?" Vikkstar123 risked a glance, and his eyes widened when he saw his own forces at the top of the hills, slowly picked off one by one as the fairies continued their merciless slaughter. "You sneaky bastard!"

CaptainSparklez didn't respond. Instead, he merely cast an Abraxas spell, which Vikkstar123 unfortunately got caught up in. He shielded himself immediately, the blinding light of the spell nearly making him stumble to the ground. When the light finally went away, CaptainSparklez was already lunging at him, his sword glowing with magic. In a feeble attempt, Vikkstar123 braced his shield arm and readied his halberd.

The brute force of the weapon speared through his shield like paper, burrowing itself into his left arm. At the same time, Vikkstar123's halberd sliced at CaptainSparklez's side, tearing through his bottom right wing and leaving a large cut at his hip. Both generals hissed at the pain and stumbled back—CaptainSparklez now imbalanced and bleeding, Vikkstar123 without a shield nor arm fit for the remainder of the battle. He didn't bother to follow-up, for his wyvern arrived at that very moment, and he hopped on, hoping to save some of his own men before all the elves were massacred.

It seemed completely hopeless. The word "retreat" was about to leave his lips, when there was a sudden shout, and the fairies backing off. In surprise, Vikkstar123 maneuvered around the pegasus knights, looking for the source of the sudden change. Then, a smile broke out on his lips.

"Hold them off!" The sound of his fellow general and friend Lachlan's voice roared throughout the battlefield, a sudden wave of elf reinforcements arriving from the other side of the hill. He reared his pegasus back before joining Vikkstar123 in the skies. "You alright?"

"Other than my arm being speared, sort of," Vikkstar123 replied as he fired a Thoron spell to push back a fairy coming at him from the right. "How did you know I needed help?"

"Preston's smart, that's how." Lachlan hefted his axe. "Alright, let's crush these bastards!"

Both generals separated to take on the remaining fairies. With the sudden shift in numbers, the fae were forced to fall back, and CaptainSparklez, fending two elves off, seemed to understand that the tide had turned. "Retreat!!"

"Drive them off! Make sure they can't come back!" Lachlan sliced at a fairy's wing, disabling them quickly, and Vikkstar123 finished them off as some Lachlan's reinforcements went after the retreating fairies. CaptainSparklez glared at Vikkstar123 before using a teleportation spell, narrowly missing the arrow that an archer had fired at him before disappearing from the bloody battlefield. The sky continued to grow dark as the day ended, the sun fully below the horizon. Lachlan's army helped the remainder of Vikkstar123's army, healers and medics coming in quickly with their staves and supplies.

As the two generals landed back onto the ground, Vikkstar123 examined his left arm. It was bleeding heavily, somewhat staunched by the leather band that held his broken shield. The head medic rushed to him immediately, eyes wide with worry. "Let me heal this."

"Don't feel obligated to, Bajan." Vikkstar123 waved him off as Lachlan watched him in concern. "The other elves are just as important."

"Don't say that, you idiot! We don't have many generals, you know. We have enough medics." Bajan carefully unwrapped the leather band from Vikkstar123's arm, holding up his staff to heal it. White magic surrounded the wound, sealing his bone and flesh back together. The general stumbled in dizziness, but Lachlan caught him by his good arm. "You lost a lot of blood, you know."

"Yeah, but it was worth it." Vikkstar123 stared out at the Dyslor Plains, the bodies of dead elves and fairies mixed alike. Despite the victory they had, he felt hollow. "Both sides took heavy losses...and it's only the first battle of many."

"We gotta report this back to Preston...at least we stopped their conquest and successfully pushed them back." Lachlan sighed. "Come on. Let's go."

_______

"It hasn't even been one day, and they've already fought." Technoblade stared at the smoke twirling into the night sky in the far distance, popping a couple of lingonberries into his mouth. The fire crackled where he and his friends had set up camp, a couple of bedrolls laid on the ground nearby as they hid in the forest. "Want to tell me your story?"

"Me?" TapL's eyes widened as he wrapped himself in a blanket to keep himself from shivering in his rags. Technoblade nodded, rolling his eyes as he unclipped his red cape and tossed it to the ex-slave. "Here, just take it. You can't keep that wrapped around your body forever."

"Thank you..." TapL tentatively took the cape and clasped it around his neck, the thick velvet combined with the blanket keeping him warm. "And my story...?"

"Yeah. Your past. How did you even become a messenger? And the lowest-ranked one, at that? That's only if you're comfortable, obviously." Technoblade's red eyes stared at the flames, seemingly deep in thought.

"Oh...I guess I could tell you." TapL sighed, taking a sip of water from his canteen. "I was a commoner child, but my family had slightly higher status in our village because my dad was head of the village, so I was more middle class than anything. I never thought I'd ever end up in the castle, but when I was around eight or nine, our village was attacked by some rogues. My dad had been teaching me to fight and defend myself with a dagger. When he saw the rogues coming, he encouraged everyone to fight instead of escape. Looking back, I think he was a bit messed-up in the head, but back then I didn't know too well. Either way, their attempts failed. Both my dad and mom were killed in the slaughter. I only lived because one rogue decided to use me as an excuse."

"What do you mean?" Technoblade frowned, concerned that he had never heard about such a thing. If TapL had been around eight or nine, he had been ten or eleven, and by then he already understood that discrimination was normalized in the country; he had never heard about the methods though.

"Yeah, they pretended to be the villagers themselves by looting the entire place, and then threatened me to stay quiet or else I would die. I didn't want to die, so I just obeyed. When they arrived at the castle, they lied to King Wilbur about the village, saying that I had caused the village massacre by using unknown magic."

 _"What!?"_ Technoblade's nostrils flared in anger, surprised at the accusation. "You were literally _eight_ years old! What kind of 8-year old would have that much malice in them that they'd want to kill somebody!? A whole village is just ridiculous."

"Yeah, Wilbur thought the same. I was about to speak up, but then the rogues started using some sort of magic on Wilbur—no one else could see it, but I could see it in their palms. Wilbur got this like, orange glow in his eyes. He then believed the rogues, and then gave them compensation in the form of pounds. Then he condemned me to prison for the rest of my life to learn my lesson, and he even chopped off my wings as a punishment, saying stuff along the lines of me not going to remember any of this when I grew older—all while being possessed by that orange magic thing. I don't know what it did, but it probably wiped his memory afterwards. Either way, I only spent about two weeks in prison before he remembered I existed. He seemed really confused as to why I was there." TapL shuddered, staring at the orange flicker of the flames. "The rogues...I think they tried to wipe my memory as well."

"Mind magic," Technoblade seethed. "The rogues must have been nightmare fairies..."

"They tried to remove my entire past. When Wilbur asked how I got into prison, I couldn't remember. He took pity on me and decided to make me a messenger instead, so for a while I owed everything to him because he had given me a new life. I didn't know that new life would be terrible though. The fact that I didn't have wings, along with my clumsiness and curiosity, made me a cripple of sorts, and I was confined to the castle. The nobles and other messengers thought I was some sort of object, and treated me as such. They made me do their tasks, run around like I was their slave...I did everything obediently because I didn't know any better—I didn't know how I used to live, nor who my family was or even what species I was. The mind-magic must have been done in a rush, though...I did get my memory back after a couple of years. At that point though, I had mostly gotten used to the messenger life and getting bullied, and so I just continued doing my duties normally as if nothing had changed...though it was a lot more depressing knowing that my life wasn't the norm. Wilbur had forgotten about me at that point even though he stood up for me, which lowered my respect for him as I got pushed around by my superiors." TapL reached towards his back again. "It's sad my body isn't the same. I don't even remember how to fly."

"Father Dan, I—I'm sorry, TapL, holy stardust. You don't deserve any of that. The fact that you managed to push through all of that and retain your sanity, knowing you were done wrong...you're too kind for this." Technoblade closed his eyes, fists clenched so tightly they crushed the remaining berries in his hand, red juice spilling everywhere. "If only I had been prince at that point...if only I had known, I would've gotten you out of there and given you justice. This is just so wrong."

"Don’t be sorry, the past is the past. And now I'm here, safe from them and by your side." TapL smiled hesitantly, before his eyes flickered to Jschlatt. Unlike the prince, he was more in the shadows, his midnight wings blending in with the trees around them. "What about you, Jschlatt? What's your story?"

"My family is nobility." Jschlatt hesitated a moment before continuing on, the other two's attention turned to him. "My life was pretty normal—though many people were confused as to why my wings seemed so different from everyone else's. Some nobles even accused me of being a nightmare fairy, but I was unable to use mind magic, so that got debunked. Technoblade didn't judge me for my wing shape. He was one of the very few that accepted me as a friend. I had no idea he was the Keldavegr prince until I was older. He then recruited me as his retainer, to help me escape from being bugged by nobles again. Since we were on very different levels, I didn't see you much, TapL. I wish I knew about the bullying...I would've punched the hell out of them."

"Yeah, they were being assholes to him." Technoblade rolled his eyes, yawning slightly. "It's a good thing I got you both out of there."

"Technoblade...you said Wilbur was your cousin, right?" TapL asked. "Do you guys have any other family besides him that's you know...still alive?"

"No." Technoblade opened his eyes again, frowning. "It's just me now."

"By the way, why are we so adamant on finding George? What happened between you two?" TapL continued to pester Technoblade on, curious for context.

Technoblade glanced away from TapL, mouth curling into a sharper frown than before. "Some of it is a bit personal...but I can give you the general details." He rolled his shoulders back, taking his crown off his head to examine it. "There's been research spread around the palace...hidden in the library crevices and whatnot. Some fairies long ago found evidence of life somewhere else on Osiadira...they had mushrooms of weird colors, and some old vines pressed into books. Some suspected it came from underground, some suspected from the ocean, but no one could really come to a consensus. Along with those items were fragments of nightmare fairy wings—probably from their dead bodies or whatever. They suspected that the large vanishing of nightmare fairies was connected to the strange wildlife they found, and that the empire didn't actually kill as many as they thought they did."

"So...a conspiracy theory?" TapL tried to clarify as best as he could. Jschlatt watched, expression unreadable.

"Sort of. And since George managed to get out of Osiadira and come back without notice...he probably is connected to the research I found. There's more, but it's personal." Technoblade waved his hand, and a Wind spell immediately doused the flames. "Let's get some rest. We'll need to keep moving tomorrow."

"Sure—" TapL was interrupted by a rustling in the trees. Technoblade's eyes widened, and in the darkness he unsheathed his axe. Jschlatt readied a spell in his hands, and TapL instinctively whipped out his dagger. The rustling stopped for a second before continuing, stopping right in front of Technoblade.

Then, a large shape emerged from the thicket of leaves around them, and Technoblade stepped back, eyebrows raised in surprise. "It's a Draconic!"

"What kind? Dragon or wyvern?" TapL squinted as he tried to identify the lumbering shape in front of them. "Is it tamed?"

"A dragon. It seems to be wild, judging from its behavior." Jschlatt responded for Technoblade. "It doesn't seem to be aggressive though."

"I-It's coming towards me." TapL clasped his dagger, watching as the bright green eyes of the Draconic bore into his. Technoblade and Jschlatt both watched, the former ready to fight at any moments notice and the latter creating a fire spell, lighting up the area once again. In the dim light of the flames, TapL could see the dragon much more clearly. It had opalescent scales, glimmering like they were wet with droplets. Two ivory horns protruded from its head, and its tail was around medium-length, with a sharp caudal spade. Its wings were closed, and it seemed to be sizing up TapL as if rearing for a fight. "Please don't kill me—wait!"

He pulled out some berries, offering it up in his free hand. "Come on...take some?"

Technoblade's eyes widened, and he mouthed "are you crazy!?" at him. Jschlatt raised an eyebrow, curious to see what would happen next. The Draconic eyed the lingonberries in TapL's hand for a moment, before its leathery tongue poked out and swiped them all up in one fell swoop. TapL wiped his hand free of dragon saliva on the log he had been sitting on prior to the dragon's arrival, and watched as the dragon ate the berries. For a moment, there was tense silence.

Then, the Draconic shuffled up to TapL, nuzzling itself against his shoulder in a gesture of friendliness. Its tail flicked around happily, a low rumble coming from its throat. "Father Dan, I think I tamed it."

"You did, you insane madman!" Technoblade broke out into a relieved grin, sheathing his axe. "Thank god—I thought you were about to die."

"It's apparently very difficult to tame Draconics. Nice work." Jschlatt seemed impressed, whiffing out the flame spell. "What are you going to name it?"

"Uh...Are you a he?" TapL asked. The dragon seemed to shake its head. "She?" The dragon nodded, grumbling happily. "What about...Cyclamen? Like the flower?"

Cyclamen seemed to be happy with that response, and she circled around him, flapping her wings impatiently. Her right claw rose and pointed upwards, and it took TapL about six seconds to understand what she was implying. "You're trying to take us somewhere?"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Technoblade was already getting their bedrolls and supplies. "Hop on; we can sleep along the way!"

"Wait! I never rode a dragon before—ah!" TapL was interrupted as Technoblade hoisted the fairy onto the Draconic's back, him and Jschlatt climbing in after him. TapL desperately looked for a place to put his hands, and Technoblade sighed before pulling out a leather rope from his backpack, wrapping it around Cyclamen in a sort of rein. The dragon didn't seem to mind, eager to take off. 

"Where'd you learn how to saddle dragons?" TapL frowned as Technoblade flew back to rest behind him.

"One of many lessons I had to learn in order to pretend I was a prince." Technoblade wrapped his arms around TapL, Jschlatt doing the same to him. "We'll hold on tight. Just let her fly!"

"O-okay." TapL nervously tugged at the reins, and Cyclamen took to the skies, soaring into the night. As TapL assured himself he was alright, he slowly came to rest on Technoblade's back. The last thing he saw before falling asleep was the forests below them, Osiadira bathed in moonlight.

_______

"This has to be it." Bad chowed down on a baguette, map in his hands. Piggyback-riding him was George, still fast asleep from the night's travels. Dream was on his third canteen already, incredibly thirsty from their constant hike. Sapnap on the other hand seemed just fine, which was of no surprise to anyone. "We're so close; I can feel it."

"Like the magic of the temple?" Sapnap raised his eyebrows.

"Not literally of course! Like a hunch or something. I don't know; humans aren’t as hypersensitive to magic like you guys are." Bad continued to lug on George as he made his way through the dense thicket of grass. "And—oh, I think that's it!"

Sure enough, in the thicket of trees well-hidden from passerby was a large structure, covered in moss and vines. Shaped like a pyramid, the stone temple had four pillars at its four corners, each one surrounded by magic circles engraved in the dirt. The entrance was a curtain of leaves, covering the contents inside very well. Hung on the roof were lanterns lit by will-o-wisps, bouncing in the air slightly as they emitted their green light. "George, wake up! We're here!"

"W-What?" George blinked the sleep out of his eyes, confused as he regained his bearings. "We're here?"

"Yep!" Bad finished the rest of his breakfast, cheering to himself. "Come on, let's go and get some help!"

"Be careful; he's a fairy—" Dream's voice faltered as Bad and George both head towards the pyramid, Sapnap glancing back once at him before following. "I swear, I have the only common sense in this group," he muttered to himself before catching up with them to ensure they didn't do anything stupid. Thankfully, they slowed down upon their arrival at the pyramid, standing a few feet away from the entrance and the magic circles. "What's holding you guys back?"

"We're not THAT stupid! Could be a trap." George muttered, trident at the ready as he took a bite out of a bagel. "Or a ploy, a fake or something."

"No worries. It's all real." A voice interrupted them all, and Dream whirled towards the entrance, the leaves parting to reveal a new figure. He had shoulder-length blond hair, bright blue eyes like ice, and teardrop earrings on both ears, one emerald green and the other moonstone white. He had on a pure white tunic adorned with gold, a light-green skirt following it, and leather brown boots that were polished to the point where one could see their own reflection. Around his tunic was a sash with a belt hanging slightly off of it, and a short shawl over his shoulders, a deep green that contrasted highly with the rest of his light-colored outfit. A translucent scarf was wrapped around his neck, and he smiled serenely at the newcomers.

"Welcome to my temple. I am Ph1lza."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i took some references for ph1lza's outfit from the unused concept art of a priest from fire emblem: path of radiance!  
> cyclamen is a flower, representing sincere love and affection :)  
> kudos and comments appreciated as always! thank you so much for reading :D


	9. Sublime Haven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and his friends find out that Ph1lza isn't all who he seems to be. Wilbur slowly begins to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYE 1700 HITS! THANKS GUYS FOR ALL THE HITS, KUDOS, COMMENTS, AND INTERACTIONS IN GENERAL REMEMBER YOU ARE LOVED BY ME :D  
> "torture" in this chapter (it isn't meant to be bad torture, it's just a very painful experience for dream, so be warned)
> 
> song inspo: [fe fates - past below (calm/flow)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAXF0-6zkzY&ab_channel=ZXApocrypha)

"This...is your temple?" Sapnap gaped at the interior of the pyramid, blinking at the steel walls that were polished to such a shine that he could see his own reflection clearly. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of the same steel, the leafy entryway behind them the only indicator of any sense of direction. The light barely filtered into the pyramid, and Ph1lza held up a lantern with a candle inside to keep the interior illuminated.

Dream was on edge, gripping Sinmara with his right hand as his boots clicked on the cold metal. He had never seen such a building before—in Hyllifold, most villages were made of wood, and fortresses and castles were typically made of stone or brick. In Keldavegr, the houses there were created by fungi or mushrooms, naturally built and woven into different plants and wildlife. Many people, not even the royalty, could not afford to use metal for architecture. On the outside, Ph1lza's temple had been unassuming, but now that he was inside he was more wary than ever. "It's...different."

"Surprised?" Ph1lza glanced back at them, the candlelight flickering in front of his face like a ghost dancing alongside his cheek. Even though there wasn't a single draft nor breeze, his hair still floated in the wind unnaturally, as if a force was pulling at the blond strands, and the candle continued to flicker in the lantern. George frowned, and Dream glanced at him temporarily. The nightmare fairy seemed incredibly skeptical of the priest, but he waved it off. "It _is_ different, I suppose."

"Sounds about right." Ph1lza nodded at the group. "Anyways, what are you guys here for? Wandered here by accident? I wouldn't be too surprised, almost nobody knows my location."

"We're here to get a cleansing," Bad spoke up. Ph1lza stared at Bad for a moment, almost sizing him up, before his eyes widened. 

"You're a human. _The_ human? From Fimbulwinter?" Ph1lza's wings, unusually small for a fairy and a soft shade of light green, seemed to curl into himself as if trying to protect himself. Bad nodded, and Ph1lza seemed to understand the situation slightly. "An emergency? Okay, makes sense. Stand here."

Dream went to a tile on the steel floor, the rest of the group following, and Ph1lza stepped on it alongside them. Seconds later, the pyramid rumbled with a great force, and underneath their feet a magic circle outlined in yellow flared up, lighting up the pyramid room slightly. The tile then shook slightly before lowering down on its own, as if being swallowed up by the ground. Dream immediately sheathed Sinmara, making sure it wouldn't be crushed in the tiny space, and fiddled with his fingers in anxiety as they went lower and lower, the ground above them becoming a speck in the air. Only the light of Ph1lza's lantern remained as they continued down the chute.

Before Dream could ask how far down they were about to go, the chute suddenly stopped. Both he and Sapnap tensed, but Ph1lza seemed to remain calm, waving his hand over the side of the wall. A magic sigil that was unrecognizable to Dream momentarily glowed, before the wall slid open to reveal a damp, dark cave tunnel. "This way," Ph1lza assured, and the four continued down the dark tunnel—Ph1lza in the front, followed by Bad, George, Sapnap, and then Dream. Dream glanced back, noticing that the door had slid shut behind them.

"Is the temple actually below ground?" Bad asked. "I don't recognize this at all."

"Most worship happens on the other floors. I can sense the dark magic radiating from the two elves, though. It's a deep and powerful magic, and its best we use the deepest chamber to ensure that when I cleanse it, none of the magic taints the rest of the temple." Ph1lza ventured onward, the lantern slowly becoming less and less of a solace as blue glowing crystals began to line the sides of the walls, illuminating the tunnel in a ghastly color.

"These are sea lanterns," George spoke up, curiously staring at one of the jagged crystals as they passed by. "It's...beautiful."

"Before I became a priest, I used to travel a lot." Ph1lza's voice, usually a cool and nurturing tone, became wistful. "Despite being raised in one of the churches of Keldavegr, I would always sneak out and go looking for new things to add to my collection of strange and weird objects. When I became eligible to become a priest...bad things happened, and I couldn't go out as much anymore. But I got over it, and decided to just separate myself from the church. So I operate as a lone priest. I don't get people much...the priests who still are with the church tend to speak bad about me."

"So you got these from exploration?" George marveled at the sight, grinning. "That's so cool."

Ph1lza didn’t speak up again, instead turning away as a shadow loomed over his face, hiding his expression from the rest of the group. Soon, the tunnel expanded to become a large dome clearing, the outer edges of the wall lined with the same sea lanterns that George had noticed earlier. In the middle of the cupola was a large dais, a pedestal of metal that was glowing with white intricate veins. The floor, going from stone to something along the lines of polished marble, clicked under the steps of the five. Ph1lza made his way to the dais, settling his lantern down on the ground, and turned back to the four. "Welcome to the deepest chamber of my temple."

"Woah." Bad gaped at the structures, staring upwards at the skyless ceiling that seemed to glitter with magic holographic constellations. "This is epic! From where I come from we have this kind of stuff too; it's just not powered by magic."

Dream noticed that Sapnap had been silent ever since he had entered the temple. He nudged his brother before whispering: "Something up?"

Sapnap shook his head, thumb pointing slightly towards Ph1lza. "Suss."

Dream nodded in agreement, refocusing back to where the priest had struck up conversation with Bad and George. "Ph1lza, do you know what's been going on recently?"

"Recently? No. I'm pretty much secluded from society—nothing's really happened, as far as I can tell. What, did King Wilbur start a war or something?" Ph1lza joked, scoffing to himself. It was only when he saw everyone else's crestfallen expressions was then that he realized. "Oh. _Ohhhhhh._ He did, didn't he?"

"Yep. Keldavegr and Hyllifold again." Sapnap sighed.

"Again?" Ph1lza questioned, and Sapnap's eyes widened for a split second at his mistake. Bad seemed to inhale a bit under his breath, and George's hand moved towards his trident.

"Yeah, they had a war a long time ago. I'm surprised they didn't teach you about it," Dream filled in quickly, noticing the panicked tension. Ph1lza's lip curled downward, but he seemed to let go of the subject. "Do you actually help both fairies and elves both?"

"I didn't even notice you two were elves. I thought you guys just had small wings like I did." Ph1lza murmured, shrugging. "But if you're with this fairy, then it shouldn't be that big of a deal. As a priest, we shouldn't be discriminating." He waved towards the dais. "What's the issue?"

"Both of us has the same curse, and it's been flaring up a lot recently." Sapnap gestured at the sigil etched into his right arm, which seemed to pulsate inside the dome's magic power. "It hasn't been doing too much to me, but for my brother it's been hurting so badly he's unable to fight."

"You two are brothers, huh? Sure don't look like it." Ph1lza stepped over to the pedestal on the dais, placing his hand on it as green healing magic ran through the structure, wiping his face in a bright glow. "I'll see what I can do. More severe case first, please."

Sapnap nodded at Dream, tapping his sword hilt to indicate he had his back, and Dream swallowed before stepping up to where Ph1lza was, facing the fairy priest as he uneasily shifted from one foot to another. "It's on my left arm," he replied, rolling up his sleeve.

Ph1lza stared at the sigil, squinting as he tried to make sense of the strange symbol. "Huh. Judging from the shape of the symbol...it seems like it was casted from another, much more ancient dimension."

"What!?" Dream's eyes widened. "Is that why it's acting up like that?"

"Possibly. I hardly recognize the shape at all, but if you look carefully...it almost looks like a very, very abstract eye of ender." Ph1lza stroked his chin, trying to recall the memory. "It may have been cast from otherworldly sources—I mean, if I recall from lore correctly, there are two major godly forces: the gods in the sky, and the Ender Dragon and her children, the Draconics. Of course, the Ender Dragon's religion has fallen out of use completely, but her magic still exists in the form of Draconics. I don't exactly know how such a curse would be implanted on an elf or fairy, but it seems like this is the darkest form of ender magic."

"So it's incurable?" Dream frowned, staring at the sigil.

"It's not incurable, but it's definitely way too blown out of proportion for even a whole team of priests to destroy. I can try to alleviate the strength of the curse, but only temporarily, and you'll still have it." Ph1lza reached out with his free hand. "Take my hand."

"I...I can't touch you." Dream bit his lip as he glanced back at the other three, who were all watching him. In the midst of Ph1lza's recap of lore, Bad had slipped on his gauntlets, and George had completely unsheathed his trident. His heart tugged at the sight of seeing George ready to defend him, and it made him feel even guiltier that he was unable to get himself to trust in the nightmare fairy. He turned back, not wanting to feel sorry for himself.

"Oh...the curse is preventing you from it?" Ph1lza frowned. "Hmm. If I wrap my hand in my sleeve...it should be fine, right?"

Dream glanced back at Sapnap, who gave him a nod. "It's worked before. I was able to carry George because his clothes cover the majority of his skin."

Ph1lza wrapped his hand in his long sleeve, and Dream took his hand. It was strong and firm, which was unlike a priest at all—then again, he mentioned he used to be an explorer. With his other hand on the pedestal, Dream watched as Ph1lza began to chant in a language he couldn't understand. Foreign letters and symbols began to rise from the pedestal, spiraling into a coil-like brace that gripped around Dream's sigil like a vise. The green magic felt like an iron grip, cold and warm at the same time.

"It's going to hurt a bit." Ph1lza interrupted his chanting, glancing over to make sure Dream was alright. Dream nodded, and Ph1lza began to chant much more loudly, causing the chamber in the room to glow even brighter with the sudden waves of magic coming from his voice. Bad and George spun around, shocked by the sheer amount of power, and Sapnap continued to watch Dream as he unsheathed his sword, ready for anything. Incoherent words began to climb up the dome, a magic circle appearing in the middle of the dais.

It took about two seconds for Dream to start screaming.

At first, he had felt nothing as Ph1lza kept chanting. Then, the sigil on his arm began to flash brightly, the dark purple magic struggling against Ph1lza's healing magic. It was as if someone had stabbed him in the arm seventy times, and then poured alcohol like vodka or wine all over the blood wound. A strangled scream left his lips, and he tried to tear his hand away from Ph1lza, but the grip of Ph1lza's hand was secured by even more healing magic wrapping around their linked hands like chains. Red flashed in his vision as tears of pain began to procure from his tear ducts, the healing magic dispelling some of the darkness as wafts of purple mist vanished inside the dome of healing magic. His whole body felt as if he were being ripped apart, legs going first as he buckled, and then his arms going numb. He couldn't even tell if he was screaming anymore—his mind had gone blank from the agony. He writhed in his spot as everything grew brighter, the magic doing its work.

Sapnap had lunged as soon as Dream had started screaming, but Ph1lza took one glance at him, his blue eyes flashing like lightning, and Sapnap knew that if he got closer, he would only mess up the cleansing and possibly hurt Dream even more. He stepped back reluctantly, wincing at the suffering of his brother. Every part of his body screamed for him to run over, to help Dream—but there was nothing he could do. Anxiety filled his mind as he realized that he was next, and though his case wasn't as severe, it was still going to hurt.

It finally stopped as the magic words fell from the walls into nothingness, and the healing magic on Dream's arm finally sunk into the sigil completely. Ph1lza finally let go of Dream and the pedestal, and Dream collapsed to the ground, barely holding himself up with his right arm. Sapnap and Bad both rushed towards him immediately, George lagging a little behind as he tried not to get too close.

"Dream! Are you okay!?" Sapnap helped his brother to a sitting position, wiping off some of Dream's sweat with his cape. Tears were still streaming down Dream's cheeks, and he was so shaken he was unable to form coherent sentences. Ph1lza stood above him, watching him with an unreadable expression.

"S-Sa—ungh..." Dream continued to cry, shaking from how much everything seemed to still burn even after the worst was over. He reached over towards his left arm, checking the sigil, and saw it flare up with some green-colored words etched into it. He could hardly feel the sigil's presence anymore, and it seemed to have been subdued significantly. Sapnap carefully wrapped his arms around his brother as Bad patted Dream comfortingly.

Meanwhile, George was glaring at Ph1lza, slightly outraged. "What in Father Dan's name!? What the hell!?"

"It's working," Ph1lza announced, ignoring George entirely. "I used the most powerful magic I had at my immediate arsenal. From what I can tell...this curse has been on you for a long, long time. It's been in your body so long, mostly dormant, but around the presence of fae it seems to spike up. It's strong enough to rip your soul from your body. The curse may have not woke up for Sapnap here, but it might soon."

"What did you do?" Bad asked, half-defensive and half-worried.

"I managed to get rid of some of its effects entirely, which is good. You can touch fairies again, though I would advise against it since the curse might try to break through my healing barrier. You'll age a little faster, though maybe only one year every five hundred years or so. And your arm won't feel like lava whenever you need to fight, so long as you don't overexert your magic." Ph1lza's expression remained neutral.

"S-Si—" Dream attempted to speak, words failing him. He bit his lip, a shaky index finger pointing at Sapnap's water canteen. Sapnap uncorked the bottle and gently held it up to Dream's lips, allowing him to drink some of the water. Once he was done, Dream swallowed before speaking out in a shaky voice. "S-Siren."

"What?" Sapnap blinked incredulously at Dream, certain his brother had lost his mind, but Bad narrowed his eyes at Ph1lza, realization dawning on him.

"Siren. You're a siren." Bad clenched his fist as Ph1lza slightly tensed. "That explains the chanting and the magic—sirens are known for their notorious ways of getting sailors to shipwreck themselves for their voices. You were using a form of magic through your voice to heal him—if you even healed him at all. How—How did you even know Sapnap's name?"

Everyone went dead silent. Ph1lza's eyes darted away, and Sapnap whirled towards Ph1lza immediately, sword ready to spear through the priest. George's eyes widened as he clamped a hand over his mouth, shocked. Dream was calming himself down, watching Ph1lza to see how he would react.

"I'm half fairy, half siren. The pure-blood sirens have died a long time ago." Ph1lza murmured, voice so quiet almost no one could hear it. "I'm friends with Technoblade."

"Shit, I _knew_ it!" Sapnap spat angrily, shooting up from the ground. "You've been our enemy all along! It's a good thing I never trusted you, you little—"

"Sap, wait! Hear him out first." Bad pulled the elf back, keeping him from running the priest through. "He doesn't look like he wants to do this to us anyways."

"It may not seem like it," Ph1lza began slowly, "but I did actually heal Dream's curse a bit. Technoblade has always told me to keep an eye out for the two elves and the nightmare fairy, describing them like just they had been described in the history books when I was younger. When I saw you guys, I was not expecting for you to be with the human. I was not expecting you guys to team up either, nor did I know that Wilbur had started a war. Knowing Technoblade, he must have ran away from the war. A foolish child, but with reason I suppose."

"So what do you want from us, then!?" Sapnap shouted angry, his voice bouncing off the walls.

"I do not wish to kill you. I'll leave that for Technoblade. In the meantime..." Ph1lza waved his hand around, and George immediately saw what he was doing.

"WATCH OUT!"

By the time "out" had left his mouth, the magic circle flared up around the dais, and Ph1lza began to hover in the air, his wings propelling him as the dais suddenly sunk into the ground, falling quickly into an opened abyss. Dream and Bad's screams, combined with Sapnap's cursing, echoed into nothing as they disappeared from view. George rose up in the air, readying a Miasma spell in his hands as he brandished his trident. "You bastard!"

"What are you going to do?" Ph1lza eyed George as he hovered in the air, arms crossed with a slight smirk. "You can choose to fight me here, where everything around me is controlled by my magic, or you can go after your friends. Or you could just turn yourself in. I'll keep you locked up so that when Technoblade comes by, he'll fetch you."

George hesitated, and Ph1lza laughed. "You actually considered ditching your friends? What a cruel play, George. But that's no surprise, coming from the likes of us—we _are_ known for our manipulative nature. You're a nightmare fairy! You're not even supposed to care for other people!"

"I didn't ask to be born into a life like this!" George protested angrily.

"Then what do you want? Death? It's not that hard." Ph1lza smiled, beginning to chant again. This time, the words that appeared on the walls were dark purple and red, crawling towards George with malicious intent.

"I'll prove you wrong, you dastard," George muttered, sheathing his trident. Ph1lza smiled triumphantly—only to be hit in the face by George's Miasma spell. The dark smoke-like magic interrupted Ph1lza's chanting, and the words on the wall stopped moving. Not taking any chances, George dove into the chasm where the dais had once been, not bothering to look back as he caved into the darkness and narrowly escaped Ph1lza's clutches.

_______

"I'm sorry, your highness." CaptainSparklez bowed, head hung low as Wilbur stood over him in the empty throne room. Wilbur's rapier was unsheathed, and CaptainSparklez was sure he was going to die. "I was unable to push forward. Lachlan's forces came out of nowhere, and I was forced to retreat."

"Don't be sorry. It was unexpected. It seems like they calculated our first move well, which is a surprise." Wilbur tapped CaptainSparklez on the shoulder, allowing him to stand up. "Preston isn't well-known for his tactics, so that was mere luck on their part. Both of us took many losses." His gaze hardened as he gazed out the window. "We're both taking this seriously now. No more games."

"I see." CaptainSparklez watched Wilbur as the emperor paced back and forth. "What is our next plan, then?"

"Let's hold back for now. We don't know if he'll make a move or not. In the meantime, let's plan for another attack—more defense-oriented, not a rush like the previous one." Wilbur nodded at CaptainSparklez. "You're dismissed."

"Thank you, your Highness," CaptainSparklez breathed, and he turned and left the throne room.

As soon as he was gone, Wilbur turned from the throne—a finely-shaped mass of different branches and plants—and sheathed his rapier again. He stared at the sky, bright blue flooding into the throne room as sunlight slowly started to leak onto him. Even then, the rays refused to hit him, overlapping him as if he were a shadow to the world.

"Father...brother...know that I am doing this for you," he said aloud to no one. "Even through everything that I've faced...I've grown to become the emperor you've always wished for me to be. And now, despite throwing away my reputation as a benevolent emperor, I am leading Keldavegr into a new path. Are you proud of me?"

Naturally, there was only silence that followed. Wilbur, however, took it as an answer.

"I figured," Wilbur murmured. "Sometimes...I still can see your ghosts, hovering behind the throne, watching me sleep, your expressionless faces never giving me any idea nor thought. As if you are here to haunt me, to observe me. Sometimes, I worry I will make a mistake. That with this new path, Keldavegr will fall."

More silence.

"But no use dwelling on it. Many lives were lost already. More are to follow. This is what must be done in order to create unity." Wilbur finally looked away, wrapping his cape around his shoulder. "And when the time comes...I hope you will be watching me with pride."

This time, a light draft blew through his mop of curly hair, and Wilbur shivered slightly despite being wrapped in a fur cape. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a faint outline—a ghastly figure with no definite shape, and yet Wilbur already knew who it was. He blinked again, and it was gone.

"Am I going mad?" He questioned to himself, scratching his head. "Is this prospect of a new future causing me to hallucinate?" He sighed, shaking his head. "Maybe I'm too worried about Technoblade...after all, he's still nowhere to be found. I dear god hope he's still keeping up his part of our agreement."

He glanced back at the throne, and the ghastly figure was back. Staring at it closer, he could vaguely identify it as his brother, despite it having no stable shape nor form. He shook his head again, and it disappeared once more. With a warpath set out for him, Wilbur left the throne room, slamming the door behind him almost as if he were running away. The sun's rays refused to touch him on the way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay that was a wild ride, sorry for the sudden rush of information!  
> next up: escaping ph1lza! techno becoming like wilbur? more bounties! more character development!
> 
> the more i write this, the more uncertain i become
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	10. Cyber Crater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four do their best to escape Ph1lza, and Technoblade meets a nasty surprise. The gods prepare for something rising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2000 HITS LETS GOOOOOOOOOO! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! ALL YOUR KUDOS AND COMMENTS MEAN A LOT TO ME
> 
> on the other hand, my family refuses to support my writing passions as an author and are trying to sabotage my update schedule. im so sorry about this, things have not been great recently :(
> 
> song inspo: [fe3h - dwellings of the ancient gods (rain/thunder)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9ktMjmAkn0&ab_channel=ZXApocrypha), PLEASE LISTEN TO IT ITS A GREAT TRACK

"Where the hell are we?" Sapnap peered around at their new surrounding, gathering his bearings as he rose from the now-flat dais. He helped a voiceless Dream to his feet, brushing him off as a groan erupted from Bad's throat. "Oh, I forgot for a second you're not an elf. Are you okay?"

"Peachy," Bad muttered as he climbed to his feet, cursing slightly as he checked his legs, the metal plates on his armored boots clinking against each other. "I used a Feather Falling charm, though it still hurts like hell. What is this place anyways?"

The three had found themselves in a strange chamber of sorts, spiraling towards the sky. The dais had landed on a small platform with a magic circle engraved around its outline, a short rail around the dais. In front of them was a circular crater, faint light streaming in from the top which was covered in leaves and dirt and seemingly made of glass—most likely to keep intruders from finding the place. It was a bare speck in the sky, and the walls were of pure rock, the lower layer outlined with warm, steaming veins of bright red. Around the circular area, there were different steel blocks towering from the flat ground, reaching upwards. Some chains dangled from the faces of some rocks jutting out from the sides of the wall. The whole area was steaming slightly, and Sapnap wiped his forehead free of sweat that was already starting to form.

"It looks like some sort of roasting chamber." He tossed Dream his canteen, allowing his brother to get some water to gain his voice back. He watched as Bad rolled down his mask for the first time, evidently too hot to keep it on. Underneath the mask was a soft face, untouched by the hardships of war. "Where's George? Is he fighting Ph1lza?"

"Whew! You guys are okay!" The sound of George's voice coming from the abyss above startled Sapnap, and he glanced upwards to see the fairy flying down towards him, trident in hand as he returned to an upright position, settling down lightly on the dais. "I barely escaped him—I don't know if he's gonna come after us, but we should try to get out of here; he's trying to keep us locked in his temple until Technoblade comes."

"That doesn't make sense. When we first fought Technoblade, it didn't seem like he came outside because the king told him to. Maybe he's running away from the war like we are?" Sapnap questioned, taking the now-empty canteen from Dream and storing it on his belt. "Don't we have the same goals then?"

"He's hunting me down," George reminded them. "Either way, whether he's with Wilbur or not anymore is kinda out of the question. He's gunning for all of us—Bad included since he's with us now."

"Don’t feel bad; we're in this together," Bad interrupted before Dream could open his mouth and apologize. "We gotta get out of here. I feel like I'm going to start burning if I stay here any longer."

"How far underground are we? I can barely see the exit." Sapnap squinted at the speck of light far up in the sky. "The walls seem too smooth to try and climb on...does anyone know any levitation spells?"

"I have a Levitation charm, but it's a one-time use," Bad offered. "It makes us rise upward for about ten seconds, and it's an area-of-effect charm, so it'll get all of us. I don't think we'll reach the top before it stops working though. We should probably just try to climb our way up on the blocks."

"You mean like...jump?" Sapnap stared incredulously at the blocks jutting upwards. "You want us to leap from block to block like animals or something."

"Yeah! From where I'm from there's these animals called monkeys, they just latch onto branches and swing from tree to tree. We can do the same thing here! At least, I know humans who were able to pull off crazy stunts by jumping from one building to another. They call it parkour." Bad carefully checked the floor with his boot to see if the floor itself was a trap, but there was no reaction. He stepped off the dais, heading towards the blocks with his staff in his steel-covered hand. Dream followed him immediately, Sapnap keeping an eye out as George trailed behind. The steam seemed to warp the air, distorting Sapnap's vision slightly. He wiped some more sweat off his head, his headband getting moist from the steam, and he headed over to where Bad was standing on the first block. The block was large and wide in a rectangular prism, and it was short enough that Sapnap could step onto it. Dream pulled him up, George behind him, and Bad took note of the pathway they could take, sheathing his staff. "Okay guys, I think I have a plan."

"Spill." Sapnap crossed his arms.

"Okay, so it's kind of spiraling upwards like a staircase, right? We should jump from one to the other—George, save your flying strength a bit—and then once we reach that tall pillar over there, we should jump onto to the chains and swing from one to the other—this is where George should help us by flying. When we get to that top chain, someone prepare something to smash the ceiling, and then I'll use my charm. If we're high enough, we _should_ be able to get out." Bad pointed as he directed the others to his ideas, pointing higher and higher. "I hope you have a lot of stamina, George."

"I do, don't worry. Life as a runaway is hard." George took two steps back before running forward, leaping at the last second. His hands were reached out for the ledge, but there was no need as his foot landed on the next block perfectly, his wings relaxing as he turned back. "Well? Come on, we don't have time to waste."

"What are we even going to do once we get out of this hellhole?" Sapnap blinked away the distortion of his vision as he jumped next, his elf strength fueling him as he landed easily on the next block, Dream following behind.

"Continue running, probably. We got Dream's curse slightly sealed, so who else could..." Bad took the leap, landing with no problem, and his eyes lit up. "Isn't there like, another place where there's elves that specialize in healing?"

"Lofnheim? The vassal state of Keldavegr?" George leapt onto the next one, albeit with a bit more difficulty as his feet nearly slipped, and he frowned, examining the next jump which was much longer and farther than the previous two. "I've never been there, but with this war going on, aren't they technically against us?"

"I don't know. I know their leader is adverse to the idea of being a vassal state, but he's never had the chance to try and fight for independence. Maybe in this war, they'll join Hyllifold...though I guess it would be heavily difficult." Bad followed George, going ahead of the fairy as he lunged for the next block, barely catching the ledge with his hands and scrambling up the pillar. George, seeing that the human was able to make it, took the leap of faith as well, making it much more easily thanks to his lighter and more lithe body. "We could go there and ask for help though. It's our safest bet because it's the farthest from the war. They're just a little bit past Eldingland. We could use a strong teleportation spell, or hitch a boat."

"Okay, sounds solid, let's stop wasting our energy talking and try to get out of this place. It's so hot; I'm literally burning." Sapnap waved a hand to fan himself as he and Dream made the next jump. Noticing his brother had been quiet, he tapped him as Bad continued to make more and more dangerous jumps. "You good?"

"Not wasting energy. Just thinking," Dream replied curtly, and Sapnap nodded in understanding before following George and Bad up the pillars. As the area of each one got smaller and smaller, they were unable to squeeze on one of them all at once, and eventually they spread out individually—Bad in the front, followed by George, Sapnap, and then Dream in the back. Moving from pillars to the rocks jutting out from the walls, Bad balanced on one of them unevenly as his jumps became quicker, adrenaline starting to fuel him. The steam of the bottom was no longer present as the abyss gave way to cooler air, refreshing Sapnap and waking him up slightly as he followed George. Soon, Bad arrived on the very last platform—a small ledge of steel—as he faced the first chain, the rock above being too high for him to reach. Below them, the floor of the pit was becoming more and more of a speck as the ceiling became more and more prominent. From where Bad was, if he fell, he would most likely be dead. Every jump needed to count.

"George, you should fly up to the rock above me, see if you can make the jumps from above. Dream, Sapnap, you guys alright there?" Bad turned, watching as Dream barely managed to jam himself next to Sapnap on the small platform they were on. The steam from below floated around like clouds, making the floor seemingly alive and bubbling.

"I'm alright. Still rearing to go. What about you?" Sapnap glanced at Dream, who seemed a little bit worn out.

"Could be worse. Not used to so much running, but at this point we have no choice. I'll handle the smashing of the ceiling. You get your charm ready," Dream instructed. Bad nodded, tying the charm around his wrist, and he leaped.

He nearly didn’t make it. His hands slipped across the iron chains, fumbling to get a grip as he wrapped his legs around the thick metal. Nearly tangling himself in the process, Bad swung his legs around and gripped tightly on the chain until he was mostly secure, eyeing the next chain. George flew up to the rock above, watching nervously. "Don't speak, keep your energy, but you're giving me anxiety."

"Never thought I'd say this but I'd wish I were a fairy for once. Wish I had wings," Sapnap grumbled as he watched Bad slither down the chain. "Wh-What are you doing!?"

Bad glanced up at him, giving him a glare that said something along the lines of "keep watching". He began to swing back and forth, much to George's rising worry, and soon he was rocking back and forth so violently the rock was starting to loosen up. Just when Sapnap thought he couldn't bear to watch anymore, Bad turned and released his grip, twisting midair to barely catch the next chain as his rocking continued on that one, ready to swing to the next one. George let out a belated screech, mouth covered and eyes wide with shock. "Holy stardust!"

"What the hell Bad, you nearly died!" Sapnap tried his best to calm his racing heart as he swallowed before jumping, grabbing the chain. It was slightly slick from Bad's sweat, and he realized that though he didn't show it, Bad had been incredibly nervous. Sapnap decided to opt for the same strategy, shifting his weight back and forth as George leapt to the next platform, wings twitching with nervousness. The chain creaked under his weight, the rock shifting above him as he made the next jump right after Bad did, the next chain swinging so violently he swore it was going to snap. Behind him, Dream grunted as it was his turn, the rock protruding much more than before. The ceiling was no longer a speck, but now a visible reach, and Sapnap calmed himself with the notion that he would make it. He was certain of it.

That was, he was certain up until Dream jumped. 

Sapnap had been about to make the jump, but was suddenly pulled back by Dream's weight, the two scrambling for a comfortable and proper grip on the same chain as the rock groaned from above them. George turned around, eyes wide as he saw the issue. "Shoot!"

Right after he said that, the rock holding the previous chain crumbled completely, sliding out from its alcove in the wall and falling into the pit below. The chain attached to it fell away as well, and there was a slight rumble as the rock made its impact on the foggy ground below. Bad managed a quick glance, nodding at George even though the fairy's eyes were no longer watching him.

"I-I-I—Okay, hold on!" George tugged at his hair frantically, in a slight panic as he tried to figure out what to do. "Uh...uh...Dream, let go!"

At that notion, Dream's eyes widened, and he shook his head frantically.

"You have to! I don't know if Ph1lza lied or not, but we have no choice but to risk it! I'll catch you and fly you to the platform. Better you than Sapnap—he didn't get a cleansing, and you're lighter!" George waved his hand in a panic, hovering right below the two. "Bad, you keep going—don't waste your time; the rock might have alerted Ph1lza that we're trying to escape!"

Bad nodded, and turned away forcefully as he continued his strange rocking motion. George seemed to silently plead with Dream, and the elf reluctantly gave in, letting go of the chain. Sapnap felt the pull ease a little as Dream fell for a moment before landing in George's arms. Despite the fairy's hands gripping Dream's arms, there seemed to be no pain. Dream didn't flinch, and neither did George as the fairy rose up and placed Dream on the platform where Bad was, settling the fairy down on the stone. Sapnap leapt, the chain behind him disintegrating into the steam cloud, and the remainder of the "parkour" went relatively smoothly, Bad and Sapnap managing to swing from chain to chain whilst George and Dream leapt their way to the highest platform possible. The ceiling above them was incredibly large, the glass now visible under a layer of leaves and dirt. They had most likely crossed it on the way there without a second thought, which meant that they were still close to the temple.

"I'm readying a Meteor spell," Dream announced, breaking the vocally-empty silence as he conducted the spell's formula in the air. George hefted Bad up onto the platform just as Sapnap latched onto the chain Bad had been on only moments ago.

"Ready," Dream announced.

"Aight, I have the charm. Sapnap, you should be in reach. When I smash it, wait one moment for the magic to settle in before you let go, okay?" Bad gestured, untying the charm from his wrist. Sapnap nodded, and Bad slammed the Levitation charm onto the rock, shattering the small gold-glass pendant into a million tiny shards. At once, the magic seemed to spread and seep into Sapnap's skin, and he let go, finding himself floating upwards at a rapid rate. He grabbed Bad's outstretched hand and watched as he, Bad, and Dream made their way towards the ceiling with George lagging only a little bit behind--the charm didn't have as strong as an efrect of him. The ceiling loomed closer, and then Dream released his spell.

Large chunks of rock, casted from thin air, smashed themselves into the glass, shattering the ceiling in an explosion of fire and debris falling into the hole. Sapnap nearly choked on a large layer of dust and dirt, but the Levitation spell lasted just long enough for him to grab a nearby tree branch and hang on for dear life. Meanwhile, Bad and Dream were both being pushed past the ledge by George, the effects of the charm wearing away as the two landed on the ground. Bad stretched his body, sore from the chain climbing, and Dream merely checked to make sure all his fingers were working as Sapnap scrambled down from the tree and joined the others. In the middle of the forest was a gaping hole leading into nowhere.

"You guys alright?" Sapnap asked immediately.

"That went well! We're alive, thank Father Sky," Dream praised as he dusted himself off. He then glanced at George and nearly choked, looking away. "Uh, thanks for saving me George."

"Yeah, no problem!" George smiled at him brightly, and Dream seemed to cower into himself. Sapnap wanted to lay down and relax, but he knew he couldn't. 

"Guys, as much as we want to celebrate us being alive from that mess, we're still nearby his temple, and we need to get out. If Ph1lza wasn't lying, then most likely Technoblade is coming for us soon and we need to keep up ahead of him." Sapnap reminded them. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"On it," Dream muttered as he begrudgingly casted a teleportation spell, barely escaping the anomaly known as Ph1lza's temple.

_______

"Techno, wake up!"

"What is it TapL," Technoblade grumbled as he raised his head from the fairy's back, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. His arms were still wrapped around the fairy, keeping him from falling off Cyclamen as they had soared throught the skies. "I still want to sleep some more."

"Jschlatt's gone."

"WHAT!?" That alone was enough to snap the prince awake as he adjusted his horn-adorned crown from its lopsided position and he sat upright. In front of him, TapL was facing away from him. Cyclamen seemed to have landed on the ground already, sleeping as the dragon slowly rose and fell in her breathing pattern. They were in a dark clearing nearby a cave, and the leaves blocked out the majority of the sunlight. Around them, forestation teemed with wildlife and a strange magic he couldn't seem to know of. "What do you mean, he's _gone_!?"

"I don't know, I fell asleep too! And then I woke up and Jschlatt just wasn't behind you anymore. He was holding onto you though, and he had been awake when I fell asleep after you did, so he didn't fall off: he just left. I was going to tell you sooner but you seemed so peaceful, and I didn't want to disturb you." TapL lowered his head in guilt, and Technoblade listened to TapL intently, eyes wide with disbelief as he processed the information. 

Jschlatt, his most loyal retainer and undoubtedly his best friend of all time, had left him. _Left him_ , right when Technoblade needed him the most. The betrayal hurt like a stab to his heart. His own best friend had betrayed him. Did he do it because he was a bad person? What did he do wrong?

"Techno?" TapL's soft voice broke through Technoblade's self-loathing, and the prince let go of TapL as the ex-messenger turned to face him. His helmet-like mask was strapped to his leather-worn belt, revealing his kind and pained face. "Are you okay?"

"No," Technoblade muttered as he shook his head, anger starting to fill him. "Goddamnit! Him too!? First Wilbur goes crazy and out of his mind, and now my best friend is gone as well!? Absolute madness." If he had a desk like he did back in the palace at that moment, he would've been pounding on it. "This hurts. This hurts a lot. Thanks for telling me though. Better later than never." His voice softened slightly as he acknowledged TapL listening to his rant.

"You're welcome, Techno." TapL smiled at the fairy. "Don't worry, I think Jschlatt will be fine."

"Should I even care about him? He made a dastardly choice, betraying me like that, especially after helping him...He's going to get what he deserves." Technoblade grumbled. "Why did Cyclamen bring us here, though?"

"Oh yeah...Check the cave." TapL nodded at the cave, and Technoblade turned to see the looming maw of the stone-clad entrance, the inside of it laid on the ground being the most majestic thing he had ever seen.

She had a long, edge-tipped tail with many glistening coal-colored scales lining her strong yet lithe body. A row of spiny silver scales jutted out from her back, starting from the tail and leading up all the way to her head. Her eyes were closed, but thin puffs of purple smoke left her nostrils, and her wings were like gigantic bat wings, tipped with armor everywhere and stained with some dried blood, covered in another layer of scales. Technoblade's jaw dropped. He had heard about this entity many different times during his life, but he would have never expect it to be real.

"Is that...what I think it is?" TapL asked.

"Yeah, I think so too. I can't believe it." Technoblade gaped longer at the entity before his lip curled.

"The Ender Dragon."

_______

"Dan." The voice of SkyDoesMinecraft floated in the otherworldly breeze, the god standing on a layer of reflective glass as the world moved on around them in shades of blue and white. "Her consciousness is rising again."

"Again?" DanTDM turned around, his blue hair nearly blending in with the sky itself were it not for the angelic wings that protruded from his head. His majestic robes, wrapped in layers of black and gold, barely skimmed the surface of the delicate ground. "Do you think she has found a worthy one?"

"I'm afraid so. If she awakens...you already know what we have to do." SkyDoesMinecraft stared into the distance, worry in his eyes. "Even if it kills us."

"We're the last two gods, Sky. If we die, Osiadira..." DanTDM's voice faltered. "We can't let her take over Osiadira. She will only spell it doom."

"Not only that, but there's another force, one of the undead. It's such an anomaly that I have no idea if it'll kill us or not," SkyDoesMinecraft murmured. "The elves...they may be the only chance of stopping it. It may be beyond our power to stop those ranks."

"Is this because I broke the rules by telling the future?" DanTDM asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't know if the ancient gods are punishing us by throwing everyone into a war started by Keldavegr. Sadly, it is rather senseless, but we can't intervene." SkyDoesMinecraft nodded at DanTDM. "Are you ready?"

"I am." DanTDM replied, face stern.

"Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments appreciated as always! they keep me fron giving up on fics like these :(


	11. Remorseful Recall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preston tries to figure out Hyllifold's next move. Technoblade cracks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2200 HITS LETS GOOOOOOO! I LOVE YOU GUYS AND I LOVE YALLS KUDOS AND COMMENTS! thank you for reading odnfhj  
> this chapter is more filler since theres no dream team + bad pov here, but lots of backstory!  
> i shortened vikkstar123 to vikk, so just a heads up on that!  
> i also made a map of osiadira but since all the places haven’t been established yet, you're going to have to stick with your imagination :)
> 
> song inspo: [fe sov - the ark of dawn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glP5graXX00)

"How you feeling?" Bajan finished wrapping the bandage around Vikk's arm, his stave on the verge of shattering from healing so many wounded.

"Splitting headache, but there's been much worse," Vikk replied, rolling his shoulders as he sat in the rolling infirmary bed, rolled up to the council room where Lachlan paced around the table nervously and Preston was crying, face buried in his hands. The guards at the door glanced at each other uncomfortably, but Bajan seemed completely unfazed. "Where's Jerome?"

"You mean your wyvern? He's alright." Vikk sighed in relief at Bajan's assurance, and he glanced at Preston. "Are you okay?"

"No," Preston croaked out. "Some of those elves that died today were friends of mine. So many lives were lost...and this is only the beginning. I don't want this war, but I can't surrender and subject everyone to a life of misery under Wilbur's rule." He choked out another sob, wiping his eyes. "I can't believe I was never trained for this. Were we always just this blind towards Wilbur's true intentions?"

"We were all blindsided too, Your Majesty. You have nothing to blame yourself for," Lachlan murmured, mourning in his expression. "No one predicted this, not even the previous king."

"Do you think JackSucksAtLife would have approved of this?" Vikk pointed out. "His own son starting a war with a nation he tried to keep ties with as best as he could?"

"So much for being a 'benevolent' king," Lachlan grumbled. "What's our plans now?"

"We pushed them back, right?" Preston's red and puffy eyes glanced at Lachlan and Vikk, and the two nodded awkwardly, not too sure how to comfort their king. "So that means they probably won't be rushing for Dyslor again anytime soon. We made a huge dent in their offenses, so if they tried to attack again, they wouldn't be able to make it. What other vantage points are important?"

"No one's going to touch Fimbulwinter, since its climate is too harsh for both sides to take efficiently. Miraga Valley is one of their campouts, since it's so close to the border—I saw it when my army went scouting. They heavily fortified their defenses there, so maybe we should avoid that for now. The Ialosian Plains are so scattered it's impossible to tell. We have the Sólbjǫrgvǫllr Forest though, since the fae were pushed back past that, and the Cliffs of Norregarrd provide nothing advantageous whatsoever." Lachlan unfurled a map, pointing at each location as he spoke. "We should keep an eye out for Njorun's River, though. If the fae get there, they'll be able to come in through the north."

"Good point. We should probably send a battalion or two over there to fortify that entryway. It's sad that we're suddenly so low on troops." Preston wiped his eyes, trying to keep it together. He was a king. He had to protect his people, no matter what. "It's a good thing all the citizens are safe at the coastline."

"Right...are we staying on the defensive still?" Bajan spoke up, to everyone's surprise. He bowed quickly to Preston, solidifying his presence in the council room. "Apologies, your Majesty, for saying this out of line, but I want to help too. You're my friend and I want to help you win this war, for the safety of Hyllifold and Osiadira in general."

"Bajan..." Preston's voice cracked again, and he nodded. "Alright. Thank you." He turned back to the map, squinting through his slightly-blurred vision from his tears, and took a shaky breath. "Let's stay on the defensive, but try for a hit-and-run tactic."

"Where?" Vikk frowned, not exactly getting what Preston intended, peering at the map. "As far as we know, they haven’t set up any camps elsewhere except for...no way."

"Miraga Valley," Preston announced. Lachlan's eyes widened, and Vikk frowned, confused. "I know. It's ridiculous and insane. They're fortifying there. But if we don't attack now, then they'll make that place impenetrable, and we'll be severely overpowered. A hit-and-run tactic would consist of a sneak attack, mainly to sabotage their supply, and then a quick getaway."

"So not a battle...but more of a mission?" Lachlan inquired.

"Pretty much. Though I doubt it'll go smoothly, it might end up being a battle. Lachlan, since you know the valley better, and Vikk's kind of out-of-commission right now, would you be willing to lead your army there? In the meantime, Vikk can start taking control of Njorun's River, and Bajan: I'll need you to head to the coast as quickly as you can, get more troops for anyone that's willing to fight." Preston stared at his generals and Bajan, the three of them debating on Preston's strategy.

"Of course. Let's just hope they don't see this coming." Lachlan nodded in agreement. Vikk shrugged, taking in the situation at hand well, and Bajan cracked a small smile.

"Thank you, all of you...I can never be more thankful." Preston teared up again, and the generals smiled fondly at their king. Moments later, the reverie was interrupted by the door opening, Woofless standing at the entrance. Ever since the war had started, Woofless has gotten back into his brigand-styled clothing from his training days, mace always at the ready, tied to his hip. In his hands was a letter, and he seemed breathless as the guards closed the door behind him. "Preston! I got the letter!"

"He managed to send a response?" Preston, bewildered, took the letter from Woofless' hands. His retainer glanced up at him, concern washing over his face, but Preston murmured "I'm alright" before opening the envelope, pulling out the neatly-trimmed wind-worn paper and reading the dark ink splattered on the pages.

_King Preston of Hyllifold,_

_Sucks that I have to write this so formally...I was never really trained for these kinds of letters. I heard about the war, and it's been causing a stir over here as well. I got your request._

_Sadly, I can't accept. I would love to, trust me. But Lofnheim is still a vassal state to Keldavegr. They haven't said anything to us yet, but chances are they plan to continue to use us in some way to assist their conquest. We're in a tight situation concerning our loyalties. The least I can do is leave you alone, or attempt to. However, you're always up to try and fight us. We'll have to resist. It won't be fun._

_I'm trying to get in contact with Wilbur to discuss Lofnheim's role in the war. Make your move as soon as you deem fit._

_And no, we haven't seen the elves._

_With utter regret,  
Purpled, Luminary of Lofnheim_

"That's not good..." the king murmured. "Lofnheim is officially with Keldavegr for now, which loses us the ability to try and attack from behind. We'll need to go through with our current strategy. They haven't seen Dream and Sapnap either."

"Not to mention that Technoblade and his friends are still missing. They say that a nightmare fairy escaped from their prison as well, and Wilbur's trying to hunt him down," Woofless mentioned. "Though one of the priests that came here...he mentioned something about that same fairy heading to his temple. Among him were three other people, but he couldn't identify what they were. He died of old age now, but before he had left, he mentioned they were heading to 'Ph1lza's' temple."

"Ph1lza? Never heard of him." Vikk tried to rise from the bed, but Bajan forced him down, much to his discomfort. "But if the priest is telling the truth, then there's the possibility that that nightmare fairy is with Dream and Sapnap. I wouldn't know who the fourth person is, though."

"Well, slight change of plans then. Woofless, send PeteZahHutt to get Ph1lza. He sounds like a very important force, if the nightmare fairy is going there. Take him back here as soon as you can. Everything else is still the same, but keep an eye out for the elves, Lachlan." Preston bit his lip, jaw clenched. "This is going to be a tough war. Take no chances."

_______

"Can we wake her up?" TapL asked, staring at the magnificent beast that was only a couple of yards away from them. He had only heard about the Ender Dragon in stories from his village and from rumors in the palace, about how she had razed the continent and was punished for her evil deeds by being put into an eternal slumber. Though Keldavegr and Hyllifold both clashed a lot in their beliefs, everyone could agree that the Ender Dragon was wrong. Her religion had long been laid to rest and banished from the continent, her magic to never be used again. He'd never thought he'd ever see the Ender Dragon in his lifetime, but here she was, in the flesh and right in front of him and Technoblade.

"She's like this thanks to the power of the gods. I don't even think it's possible." Technoblade nearly reached out, but pulled back. "Why would Cyclamen lead us here? Did she sense her mother and tried to come back?"

"She's not waking up," TapL noted worriedly. "She's still breathing, but even when I try to shake her, she's unresponsive."

"At least she's still alive. The air is thick with magic. It's humid in here," Technoblade noted, wiping the sweat off his brow as he adjusted his crown. "I'm hungry. Can we like...get out of this clearing? It's making me feel kind of sick in here."

"Sure," TapL agreed, grabbing his pack from Cyclamen's back. "I think I still have some cooked mutton."

"Ooh, nice." Technoblade followed his friend out of the clearing into the woods, the suffocating feeling of the clearing quickly ebbing away as they left. Once Technoblade was sure they were far enough, he stopped him. "Here's fine, I think we're out of her range."

"Alright." TapL sat down on the dirt, Technoblade following as TapL took out the wrapped meat, handing a piece to Technoblade before unwrapping his and chowing down on it. For a while, the two sat in silence, the birds chirping above them as morning took its toll. TapL glanced at the prince, frowning. He had basically told Technoblade everything about his past, but Technoblade still seemed to an engima. 

"What's up?" Technoblade asked, pausing from his eating.

"What?" TapL furrowed his eyebrows, noticing that Technoblade was staring at him.

"You're staring at me. Something on my face?" Technoblade wiped his mouth with his sleeve, the icy-white cloth slightly stained with sauce. TapL nearly giggled at the sight, but he steeled himself.

"I'm just thinking about everything that's happened so far. We ran away, Wilbur started a war, George and the elves teamed up, and Jschlatt.." TapL's voice trailed off as he saw Technoblade's wistful expression at the names. "I'm just glad you're still here."

"Thanks, TapL." Technoblade gave him a bright smile, easing his nerves a bit, before sighing heavily. "It's been tough. This whole war is going to catch up to us soon, whether we like it or not."

"Technoblade?" TapL asked suddenly.

"Yeah? What is it?" Technoblade finished his mutton, reaching for another.

"If you were king, what would you have done?"

Technoblade fell silent, staring at the ground with an unreadable emotion on his face. TapL was about to apologize, but Technoblade interrupted him first.

"I would've changed almost everything," he breathed. "The stupid hierachy ruined Jschlatt's life as well as yours. I would've torn it down and rebuilt the society as a place where there's no king. There's no absolute ruler, and everyone is on equal status based on their ability, not their social standing. Kind of like Hyllifold, I guess, but with more power towards the people. They can choose who to be the primary ruler; that way everyone is satisfied. I would've abolished those discrimination laws entirely, save you from that misery. People shouldn't have to make other people do things for them unfairly, and the methods that the nobles used to treat you are just--no; the whole system just has to go. I'd grant Lofnheim their independence since they don't owe us anything. I would've opened the borders, allowed travel beyond the continent and outlying islands. I could've done all these things...but the war Wilbur is manifesting is destroying all of that."

"Why is he like this? I don't understand his motives because I don't know him very well, but you do." TapL took a bite out of the growing-cold meat, a frown on his face as he listened to Technoblade.

"I'll start with the reason why he's a bit on edge. The sickness that plagued my uncle and older cousin wasn't spread by contact--it was genetic. It runs through Wilbur's bloodline, but most of the time it doesn't show. I don't know what it's called, but I heard it could mess with your mind. Our ancestors believed that they had been cursed by nightmare fairies, and that the manipulative and diabolical nature of those fairies granted them no remorse in sabotaging the bloodline. Wilbur may be showing some signs of the sickness already. With my induction, the cursed bloodline ends with him, and he knows his time is uncertain and definitely much more limited. Perhaps on his family's deathbed, they tried to convince him to do this. That some nightmare fairy was pulling the strings behind their minds, trying to activate the illness early in Wilbur so they could secretly control Keldavegr in the background. And I think that nightmare fairy is George, or at least someone related to him, because George's bloodline is known for holding some of the strongest mind-magic users. I can't let the nightmare fairies continue to run wild." Technoblade said all of this with a heavy tone, his shoulders drooping. "I'm worried sick about Wilbur, to be brutally honest. Hyllifold hasn't done much right either, hiding Dream and Sapnap for so long without telling anybody, harboring them illegally. But Wilbur's going too far to start a war on some vengeance like this. He talks about revolution and exposure, trying to exploit Hyllifold. It just doesn't seem like a good idea. Not without a proper reason, anyway," he confessed.

TapL sat there, processing all that information. "Do you have the sickness as well?"

"No, since I'm very distant. I'm still prone to mind magic, so I don't want to take any risks." Technoblade finished his second mutton, wiping his hands with a leaf on the ground. "I'll never forgive Dream and Sapnap, honestly. Their existence is why everything went downhill. They may not know it, but they started this war."

"What's our issue with them anyways? From what I've read in history books, they both disappeared after the Battle of Flames because they were cursed by magic. Some speculated that the whole Brazen Hill was set on fire with that curse-filled magic, but that doesn't explain much about Sapnap receiving the curse, or how he got it."

"He killed the general...the general must have been special to have been able to pass that curse onto him," Technoblade reasoned. "But ever since their escape, it's like as if everyone was just hellbent on finding the two. I don't understand what's so special about them besides that curse, but Keldavegrian society continued spiraling downward from that point onward. I can't forgive them. Never."

"That's...justifiable. Aren't they supposed to be arrest for war crimes? That doesn't even make sense; war crimes get committed by everyone." TapL was done eating, merely listening to Technoblade pour his heart out.

"I don't know. Sapnap is half-royalty, so his case is a bit different. Dream might have done something else that no one else knows." Technoblade dropped the leaf, brushing himself off. "Geez. I've never really told this to anyone. Not even Jschlatt." Technoblade smiled sorrowfully at TapL. "Sorry you had to listen to all of that."

"No, it's alright! You're my friend. After what Jschlatt did, it's up to me to be the best friend that he can't fulfill anymore." TapL shrugged. "He's missing out."

"Thanks, TapL." Technoblade raised an eyebrow. "After what you've told me the night before...how are you still sane?"

"I can't remember my previous memories fondly, so I don't have a lot of emotional attachment. Thankfully, that's a good thing because I'm a pretty emotional person," TapL laughed. "I get easily angered and I cry a lot. Sometimes when I get extra worried, my head hurts. If I had to live with emotional attachment to those memories and suffer under everyone's abuse, I probably would've gone insane a long time ago. Those rogues ending up working in my favor, I suppose."

"Geez TapL, that's lowkey kinda messed up. But I can't blame you." Technoblade patted his friend's shoulder before tightly encasing him in a hug, showing a rare moment of weakness. "Really, thank you for everything."

"Of course," TapL chuckled, hugging his friend back. They lingered in each other's embrace for a minute, relishing their temporary peace. Then Technoblade pulled away, expression returning to the hard gaze in his red eyes from when he had been living in the castle. "Let's get back to that Ender Dragon."

"Huh? Okay," TapL replied in bewilderment as he packed all their things and began heading back the way they came. Technoblade took the lead, the suffocating feeling coming back once again.

"Why are we going back? What are you going to do?" TapL implored as they cleared their way towards the empty haven.

"I want to talk to her," Technoblade responded, hand shifting to his axe every so often. "I think that her consciousness is awake--just not her body--and I have an idea."

"What idea?" TapL grew increasingly worried as Technoblade entered the clearing. Cyclamen was still fast asleep, and the Ender Dragon remained peaceful.

"Drastic times, drastic measures. Just...when it happens, I want you to ground me, okay? Keep me from becoming like Wilbur." Technoblade's vague statements gave TapL anxiety, and the ex-slave nodded fearfully.

Technoblade made his way to the ender dragon, eyeing her for a moment before speaking.

"I want to strike a deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter was shorter than normal, my family really likes to sabotage my writing attempts so i have to sneakily write this at 1am :(
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!
> 
> yo AO3 WHY IS THIS SHOWING UP THIS FAR BACK? i literally updated the book on 13th pls fix


	12. Smoke and Mirrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lachlan doesn't know how to motivate his army. PeteZahHutt guns for Ph1lza, whilst the Muffinteers head to Lofnheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2500 HITS YAY! so glad we've made it this far and i can't believe we're progressing through this story so well. honestly, i haven’t wrote a lot recently, and this is helping me with my writers block so thank you all for this :D
> 
> i wrote the latter half at 2am so sorry if its all jumbled i was half-asleep
> 
> song inspo: [fe sov - the fallen knight](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1JUYdsEJsc), [fe sov - revelations](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzqh_nqP4ms)

"Remember everyone, this is a hit-and-run tactic." Lachlan paced back and forth between the army, pegasus only a few feet away as he eyed every single one of his troops. For the past couple of hours, he had thrown them all into a tough training regime, and the sun was already setting. It was a good thing he had been taught when he was younger how to fight all sorts of combat, so he was much more well-rounded in comparison to Vikk. "We'll be using the cover of night to travel, because we don't want them seeing us. Remember—do _not_ attack anyone unless you have to defend yourself. We're trying to sabotage their supply, not cause a ruckus."

The army seemed to murmur their agreement, but their voices were quiet and subdued, as if there were no hope. Lachlan couldn't blame them—the first battle had went horrendously, and even though his army had mostly survived, much of Vikk's army was demolished and the morale of the army had nearly been completely crushed seeing that Vikk's forces, so similar to their own, could barely hold off against the first wave. Seeing that Vikk had nearly lost his arm fighting against CaptainSparklez ( _Father Sky, that must've been such a miserable battle for him_ ) had almost destroyed his own spirits. The only thing keeping him from losing all hope was the fact that their efforts hadn't been futile, and that Wilbur's forces were pushed back to his borders. He needed to rally their spirits; he needed to rally _himself_ before he lost himself in a pool of despair.

"The scouts should be coming back by dinner to show us a map of their base, or at least get the general idea. When that happens, we'll plan how we get into their base. They must have _some_ chink in their defenses," Lachlan contemplated. "If there isn't, we'll find another way."

He internally winced at his words as he watched the army deflate even more. Giving them vague answers wasn't going to be enough, but at the same time, it was the most real answer he could give. _What would Vikk say?_ "I know it's only just the beginning of many more battles to come. This war is going to be long. It's going to be tough. Drill it into your brains right that we are not the oppressors. We're here to keep Hyllifold and overall Osiadira from falling under a corrupt society." The army shifted at his words, and he continued to speak. "The harder we fight, the more we give our all, the sooner this ends. We're here to protect the present and keep it from being overrun by a terrible future. So let's give this mission our all--to avenge the lives that were lost, and protect the ones that are still breathing."

There was a moment of silence, and Lachlan observed the army as each soldier glanced at one another, not sure if his speech had gotten through to them. He was about to speak up again, but a shout from a soldier in the back interrupted him.

"FOR THE FUTURE!"

The rallying cry was soon joined by more voices, slowly weaving its way to the front lines. Soon the entire army was in an uproar, pumping their fists in the air with determined faces and a united cause. Lachlan grinned, seeing that his speech had worked, and he raised his fist as well. "For the future!"

The army broke out in cheers, and Lachlan felt his heart swell with pride. "Alright everyone, let's get back to work so we can fight on!"

_______

As the sun set, Pete adjusted his translucent mask, the bright green glow subdued as he took one last look over his items—a couple of potions of invisibility and night vision, as well as swiftness and strength. His crossbow had enough darts to successfully get any fairy or elf out of commission, and he was sure he wasn't going to have to use many anyways. Strapping on his trusty and incredibly-rare elytra, he eyed the window nearby him, making sure no one was trying to peek in through the castle—which was pointless, seeing that the only people left in the vicinity of the castle were the army, the king, the generals, and the clerics. Then again, this mission was more of a secret more than anything. If word got out that he was trying to kidnap a fairy priest, the army would gossip for days on end. He needed to be quick, and he needed to finish this.

_"When you get Ph1lza, bring him back to the castle, and make sure he doesn't wake up at all during your flight. We'll leave him in the underground chambers for the night, and we'll put a barrier around his magic so he can't try to escape," Preston informed him as soon as Pete had made it up to the council room. "We can interrogate him as soon as he wakes up. Either way, I think we'll be keeping him hostage for a while."_

_"How long?" Pete asked._

_"Depending on the tide of the war...most likely up until the very end." Preston's lip turned downward, the weight of his responsibilities heavy on his shoulders. "He could be super important to helping us."_

In other words, Preston had told him that if he failed, the entire war would be at stake. Pete didn't quite understand what was possibly so special about the guy, but then again he hadn't been given a lot of information in the first place. It seemed everyone around him knew more than he thought they did, which frankly wasn't that far-fetched. He was an assassin, sure, but he was also a mercenary, and he just did whatever needed to be done so as long as he got paid for it (which Preston did promise, so he was all in for it).

War had never seemed more foreign of a concept to Hyllifold more than ever. He had been content with merely taking out bandits and rogues and making sure the outer villages were protected here and there, but now he was getting paid to essentially keep Hyllifold from falling apart completely. Having watched the armies in the shadows, he already knew they were quite inexperienced and definitely not ready for a war. Though they all seemed to have one cause to bond over, they were mostly unable to synchronize with each other and know how to fight together. Both Lachlan and Vikk would have to train them incredibly hard in order to stand against the fairies well. It wasn't like the higher-ups were faring much better. Pete silently cursed Preston's father for never teaching his son what to do if a war broke out. It was sheer luck that Preston managed to hold his ground against Wilbur.

He downed one invisibility potion and one swiftness potion each, watching his own shadow disappear from the golden sunlight. Thankfully, the potion spread to his elytra and crossbow as well, and he bound his weapon onto his back before leaping from the open window, the elytra spreading out like fairy wings as he glided over the training grounds, where the army was sparring amongst one another. The calvary were practicing some battle tactics, and Pete made sure to steer clear from Lachlan and the pegasus knights as he headed towards the expanse of woods. Preston had given him a general direction to the temple; the extra map from the priest that had supposedly seen George was in his hand, and he unfurled it, following the shaky direction of the ink on the parchment. The swiftness potion helped boost his flight, and the castle faded from behind him in the distance.

 _George._ That was the supposed name of the nightmare fairy that everyone in Keldavegr was so adamant on taking back. He had never seen nor heard of the fairy ever in his lifetime, but he had encountered nightmare fairies on his travels before and needless to say, he did not like to fight with them. Sometimes, he would black out for a moment or two, before finding himself beating up his own comrade for no apparent reason. The mind magic that nightmare fairies used were incredibly annoying and not to mention tiring, as he would always have headaches by the end of his missions. He _swore_ that most nightmare fairies hadn't used mind magic so often when he was younger. For once he was glad that nightmare fairies were all rogues—if the empire had control over them, they would be severely disadvantaged even more than they already were.

 _Dream and Sapnap._ Bedtime stories from his childhood regaled the latter as a great and powerful general who disappeared so suddenly after he had turned the War Between Heaven and Earth towards Hyllifold and essentially gave them the victory. He was surprised there were no statues of him along with the statues of the generals from that war long ago, as if he was supposed to be erased from history just like the former. No one knew about Sapnap's older half-brother, the one in the shadows thanks to his commoner blood. Though the king during the war (he forgot his name) was known for his pride and straight-forward thinking, he paid no attention to those that were below noble blood. It was a good thing that soon after Hyllifold turned to a meritocracy. _Maybe he preferred to be in the dark._

As the castle became no more than a speck and the sun set below the horizon, Pete focused more on finding his way to Ph1lza. He scanned the forest, looking for a source of light, but there was none. He wasn't sure if he was adjacent to the Dyslor Plains anymore, having flown so far while deep in his train of thought. He was definitely nearing the edge of the western border, and judging from his location, he still had about 30 minutes before he was even remotely close to the temple. According to the information he had gotten, Ph1lza was a fairy priest, so it would make sense that his temple was closer to Keldavegr. He needed to be careful to make sure that he didn't accidentally get too close to Miraga Valley, where the empire had made their first campout. Lachlan could do that for Hyllifold. He had other tasks at hand.

He noticed his body was starting to come back into view, so he drank another invisibility and swiftness potion, as well as a night potion to help him see in the ever-growing darkness. All three concoctions swirled around in his stomach, making him feel slightly sick as he dipped up and down in the nonexistent wind. He said a silent prayer to Father Sky above, relieved that there were no winds to sidetrack his flight. He wondered what Father Sky and Father Dan would think of the new war, seeing Osiadira tumble into another bloodshed. Would they side with their respective countries as well—Father Sky with Hyllifold, and Father Dan with Keldavegr? Or would they ignore the war completely, choosing merely to observe? He had been mostly faithful to the gods throughout his life, but the war was threatening to change his views on that.

He wondered if any of the elf priests at the coast were getting any sort of messages from the gods. Bajan was the only cleric that he was somewhat close to, and even he hadn't been getting anything. He was sure the gods were just watching everything unfold. Then again, the war had just started, so there was no need for them to take sides yet. He could've sworn a tang of bitterness was starting to well in his mouth, but he ignored it and kept flying, the wind whipping around him.

_______

The sky grew dark as the coverage of night shielded him even more from possible onlookers. Despite the darkness, the night vision potion lit everything up as if it were midday, the edge of the horizon lined with the pale blue of daylight. Pete knew he had to be much closer now, having spent all that time pondering and thinking about the war in general. It was hard to identify his location on the map, but he had a growing suspicion that he was in the vicinity of the general location of the temple. Sooner or later he would have to travel by foot.

As the night went on, he saw a large gap in the woods leading up to a narrow pathway that was lined with dirt and leaves. Circling rapidly downwards, he landed on the pathway, skidding up the dirt slightly by accident. Folding his elytra and drawing his crossbow, he opted to climb the nearest tree immediately, the swiftness potion assisting him in quickly leaving the noise-filled danger zone of the leafy pathway. He leapt from tree to tree, following the pathway that was nearly identical to the one on the map.

He paused the minute he saw a gaping crater in the middle of the pathway, shattered glass shards poking out from the debris everywhere as the surrounding circle shamelessly tossed dirt and leaves into its bottomless mouth. Pete was half-tempted to go down and see what was at the bottom, but glancing upwards he could see the faint light of a lantern in the distance, as well as a small dot of cobblestone. _That must be the temple._

His footsteps became quieter as he made his way to the temple, the outline of the pyramid shape coming into view. It turned out his mission was a lot easier than expected, for his assigned target was already standing outside the entrance, back turned to him as he stared at the sky above.

Ph1lza was somewhat tall, with shoulder-length blond hair and green teardrop earrings like emeralds. Had it not been for his masculine figure, Pete would've automatically assumed that Ph1lza was a girl. Protruding from his priest outfit was a small pair of lime-green wings, unusually miniscule for a fairy. In his hand was another lantern, lit by fire oil, and he didnt seem to notice Pete's presence at all. His posture was hunched forward and his other hand was clenched into a fist as if he were angry. Pete readied a dart, careful not to make any noise as he slowly drew back the sniper. In the quiet of the fresh night, he could vaguely hear the priest speak.

"They escaped...I can't believe it," Ph1lza grumbled. "A war, huh? So that's why Technoblade hasn't come by. I wonder why...I wish I could just go back to exploring like how I used to, and not be shunned for being a halfie."

 _A halfie?_ The term was completely foreign to Pete, and he lowered his crossbow in confusion. Though fairies and elves lived in the same country, both species hardly interacted with one another and there had never been any records of anyone having children with the other species. _Was Ph1lza the first?_

"Either way, they're out of my hands now. I don't exactly know what to do at this point. I doubt the war would actually reach my temple, so maybe I should just stay here and continue my research..." Ph1lza weighed his options, unaware of Pete staring him down from the trees.

Pete knew he was wasting time, so he aimed straight for Ph1lza's neck—difficult to locate at first due to his long locks, but he hastily found it. It was the fastest way to take someone out and save him some time. At this point Lachlan would have departed from the castle, heading to ambush Miraga Valley, and he needed to be fast before he himself got caught up in the scuffle or Ph1lza noticed him.

Unluckily for him, his invisibility and swiftness potion both winked out at the same time, causing the branch to creak slightly as Pete's lightweight body went back to its original weight. In a panic, Pete let his dart fly.

At the same time, Ph1lza turned around in alarm, the dart only moments later embedding itself into his neck. He pulled it out as fast as he could, but the damage had already been done. Conjuring a Wind spell, he shot it at Pete, who jumped from the tree and loaded another dart. Ph1lza had already spotted him, but Pete knew the effects were settling in. Ph1lza attempted to create another spell, but the magic was significantly weaker, and the next Wind spell dissipated on its own before it even hit Pete. To ensure Ph1lza's full sedation, he fired the second dart into the priest's arm for good measure, watching as the angry and resentful priest slumped over, eyes fluttering shot as he dropped to the ground. Pete waited a couple of moments to ensure that the priest wasn't just trying to play dead, before nudging him. Ph1lza's head lolled to the side at the gesture, knocked out completely.

"Sorry, but this is war." Pete sheathed his crossbow before tipping an invisibility potion to the priest's lips, watching him disappear from view. He then downed the three potion concoctions again, the effects settling back in as he picked up Ph1lza and climbed to the top of the pyramid. From there, his elytra wings spread open, and he took back to the skies with the priest now in toll.

_______

"Dream?"

Dream turned from where he was at the stern of the small boat that he and the rest of the group were in, the water rocking slightly as the calm sea waves lapped against the oak. They had rented the boat from a local fisherman in a village, who was too old to be sailing and thus was willing to give away his prized boat. They were now planning to sail around Keldavegr--a risky but important gamble—to reach Lofnheim, a small patch of land right behind Keldavegr's heart. According to the rumors in the village, Lofnheim still had yet to give any sort of assistance to Keldavegr despite it being a vassal state, and thus they currently weren't associated with the war, making it the safest play they could take.

After a dinner of golden carrot stew and mashed potatoes, the four had mostly remained silent during the trip, everyone lost in their own thoughts. George volunteered to take first watch as everyone else went to sleep, but Dream's nightmare had resurfaced and thus he was awake again, staring out towards the sky with a lantern a safe distance from him. Sapnap and Bad were sound asleep in the lower deck (which was incredibly small) and George sat on the other side, having just noticed the elf.

"Yeah, George?" Dream's stomach churned at the memory of the war, his best friend's death combined with the nightmare fairy trying to kill him replaying in his head. Ever since that day, he had been quite adverse to being too close to a flame, the only few exceptions being the fireplace at his cabin and lanterns. Even then, sometimes he would back away instinctively, scared that he would get burned and hurt all over again.

"Are you okay? I sensed it again, you know."

"I'm fine. Just...staring out at the ocean, I guess." Dream was only half-lying; he hadn't been at sea ever since he was a child, and that was only a couple of times on rare occasions where he was allowed to go back to his seaside village. He had never rode a boat before, and the feeling was unusual and different. The water soothed his mind, reminding him that everywhere he could look there was a way to extinguish the fires that could possibly hurt him. It was a shame mostly only fishermen went into the ocean, and they never could stray too far from land thanks to the overarching rule of Osiadira: leave, and they could not come back. "It reminds me of home."

"Home as in the cabin, or...?" George raised an eyebrow.

"Home as in the village I come from." Dream hesitated—should he really be trusting George with his childhood? The nightmare fairy was staring at him, waiting patiently for him to continue on. His eyes, a strange ochre color mixed with hues of rich tree bark, were bright and eager with the radiance of youth. The eye of ender on his forehead contrasted greatly with his expression, the pupil gawking as if it were sentiently condemning him. For once, Dream was finally starting to see more and more of the differences between George and his ancestor, and it relieved him to see that the George in his nightmares wasn't the real George.

 _Remember, Sapnap told you that trust is key._ Dream took a deep breath and sighed, delving into his story. "My mom always told me that my dad was a fletcher. He was supposedly the best one in the village, known for his handiwork with his bows that hunters sometimes used to help supply meat for us. He apparently was strong and kind and everyone loved him. It's a shame he died soon after I was born...I never got to know him." Dream traced the edge of the boat with his finger. 

"Later, mom ran away with another man and had another child, which was Sapnap. His dad was actually one of the princes, making Sapnap royal blood. Most of the castle knew about his existence, but a lot of people chose to ignore it. Either way, mom wanted us to grow up normally in the village. But something—something happened and—" Dream stopped talking, the words too difficult to speak aloud. He didn't want to talk about what happened to his mother, and so he resorted back to an awkward silence that was soon broken by "And what about you?"

"Me?" George's wings flicked back and forth. "Well...my mom and dad were both nightmare fairies. I was kind of an accident since my family was never planning for pregnancy. But they still managed to readjust their plans and change themselves in order to be able to take care of me while fending for themselves. My childhood was a wild one—always stealing and raiding different villages, taking anything we could possibly need...just traveling all over Osiadira causing mischief. At least, that's _what_ it was."

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking," Dream replied, now genuinely curious. He leaned towards George, willing to hear some more.

"Something about them changed. Sometimes they would leave me to fend for myself for days or weeks at a time, and I never knew what they were up to. Their behavior got irrational and they started blaming me for a lot of things: food shortages, lack of currency, so on and so forth. They were mad that they had a child like me. I don't know what made me the one that was wrong, but one day I couldn't take it anymore and I just...ran away. I snuck onto a boat with a bunch of fishermen, but a storm whipped up and everyone pretty much died except for me. I didn't know the law about Osiadira and leaving the country, so I just...left, I guess. I came back because I want to know what made my parents go crazy and hateful like that."

Dream watched George's shoulders slump, and guilt washed over him once again. He had no idea that this nightmare fairy had been treated like crap when he was younger, and yet he retained his happy personality. Dream could seriously respect the mental power that fae had—it was (in his opinion) much better than the physical power elves had. How could he have treated George like that in the beginning, when the nightmare fairy had been suffering just like he did in his own way? The sudden urge to rectify his attitude swelled in his stomach.

"Hey, George? I'm sorry I was being an...an asshole to you when we first met," Dream blurted out without thinking. "I didn't acknowledge properly that you were suffering just like Sapnap and I were, just in your own way. I should've been nicer to you."

George's head shot up quickly, surprise in his eyes. "What? Don't apologize! Of course anyone would act like an asshole if someone broke into their super-protective magic barrier. You have every reason to hate me, and yet...you don't. I should be thanking you for that."

"I..." Dream was tempted to tell George the truth about how he really felt about him, but he didn’t want to hurt the fairy's feelings, and especially not now when they were actually agreeing with each other for a moment. "You're welcome...I guess..."

"Of course. Can I erm...give you a pat on the shoulder or something?" George raised his hand, drawing it back instinctively before he remember that Dream's curse was subdued and thus they could make skin-to-skin contact. "Only if you're comfortable though. As a way of thanks for both sides."

Dream nodded stiffly, not sure how to turn him down, and George's hand reached forward, patting his shoulder. George's hands were relatively small, but were also soft--one with fingerless gloves and one without. They patted Dream's light tunic, and Dream was starting to find comfort in the gesture, which worried him.

It was a nice feeling, and Dream didn't like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay more backstory and more filler wheeeee, reminder that i thank you guys for reading this ff and staying by me lol
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	13. Ashes of Tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade finds his wager much more dangerous than expected. Ph1lza reawakens in Hyllifold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY 2700 HITS! man idk how i still have the motivation and energy to write these. sometimes ya sit down and all these ideas come and you just gotta put them out
> 
> i made like 15 different major plot changes in my notes and now im praying this doesn't get too confusing to yall. shortened technoblade to techno for easier typing lol, writing out captainsparklez in its entirety is already a lot
> 
> anyways, thanks for coming so far with me, and hope you guys continue to stick by until the end!
> 
> song inspo: [fe fates - destiny by blood](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjHXsFVrdAU&ab_channel=CellextynX)

At first, there was no reaction to Techno's words. TapL stood a safe distance away from Techno, knife out in case things went awry. The prince's hard gaze was focused on the head of the slumbering dragon, waiting patiently.

"Uh, Techno, can she even hear you?" TapL whispered quietly.

"Gods are on another level. She probably has heard of many things, even in her sleep. She most definitely heard me wanting to strike a bargain." Techno crossed his arms, not looking back. "I mean, there's always the chance that she never wakes up at all, but we have some time, don't we?"

"Not really," TapL differed, and Techno let out a sigh in reluctant agreement. "We're basically against Keldavegr now, aren't we? So we're on our own side, just the two of us. No doubt Wilbur's gonna try and hunt you down eventually."

"I—" Techno opened his mouth to speak, but the dragon suddenly shifted in her sleep, causing the trees around them to shake slightly. Techno whirled towards the beast, eyes wide, and TapL fell silent. The dragon didn't move again, but the air suddenly seemed to change, and the invisible magic cloud seemed to grow thicker, swarming the zephyr with a rising temperature.

"Techno, what's going—Techno?" TapL stepped closer, but the air seemed to electrify around the still prince and he fell back, voice rising in concern. "Techno!? Hey, say something!"

The prince remained mute, and TapL watched as Techno finally moved, turning towards TapL with his eyes opening languidly. To his horror, they were no longer the crimson red that TapL knew, but instead a dark purple that seemed to glow with malice and evil intent. TapL readied his knife, preparing for an imminent fight, but Techno seemed to have no intention of trying to kill him. Instead, the prince turned back to the Ender Dragon, stepping closer as the sun tried to hide behind the canopy of leaves. The wind picked up and scattered light all over the clearing. The magic in the air was suffocating, and TapL nearly collapsed trying to find the solace of oxygen.

Right when Techno reached the head of the latent dragon, everything came to a stop. The wind stopped its assault on the weather, fading into a gentle breeze. The magic in the air seemed to dissipate, and TapL inhaled a large breath of fresh air, thankful that everything was slowing down. The dragon seemed to shift again, and Techno's rigid posture relaxed, the prince's shoulders slumping slightly as he turned back around and the purple glow faded from his eyes back into their flaming-charcoal color. He buckled, knees hitting the ground, and slammed into the dirt.

"Techno!" TapL sheathed his knife and rushed over, helping the fairy to rise. "Are—are you okay!? What happened!?"

"I'm...alright, I suppose." Techno groaned, rubbing his head. "The Ender Dragon spoke to me."

"She did _what_ now?" TapL blinked, making sure he heard correctly. "What did she say? Did she hear us?"

"Yeah, yeah, lemme recall everything for you," Techno muttered, rising back to a sitting position as he took a flask of water from TapL's outstretched hand, gulping down the liquid with relief. "Here's what happened..."

_______

Techno barely heard TapL's call his name before everything around him was suddenly engulfed in a thick darkness, the ground around him disappearing and changing form in a swampy, murky manner. He felt his feet start to sink into the half-solid goop, and he instinctively clawed at the air, crying for help. "Hey! Let me go! Someone!? Get me out of here!"

It was no use. He continued sinking further, the substance reaching his waist, and in a last-ditch attempt, he tried to fly. Almost immediately, tendrils of the goop swarmed up on his wings, dragging him down, and he was forced to succumb to his fate as he was swallowed by the mass. To his surprise, he was still able to breathe, and he quickly fell out of the goop into a massive void of...nothingness. The sky was pitch-black like midnight, and he stood on an island of spongy, pumice-like stone that was a distinct creamy color. Around the large circular island were ten pillars made of strong black material with strange glowing runes at the top of each other, crackling with energy. In the middle of the island was the Ender Dragon herself, in her full glory—shiny black scales that glimmered in the nonexistent light, bright purple eyes that seemed to stare into his soul, as well as a proud and large maw with sharp teeth that could tear anyone to shreds. Her wings were lax against her body like window curtains on a calm night, magnificently looming over her.

"You're...awake!?" Techno gaped.

"I've always been." The dragon bared her teeth in an attempt at a smile, and Techno could hear her voice in his head—deep and smooth with a touch of sultriness. "When the gods sealed me into eternal slumber, they didn’t account to strengthen the seal on my mind. Though my physical body is heavily locked behind the seal they imposed on me, my mind is still very much awake—as it has been for the past eon."

"So you've been here this entire time...in that clearing?" Techno frowned, rubbing his temples. "Speaking of which—where _are_ we?"

"This is the last remnant of my old domain—the End. It was hidden in the skies, but after the gods felled me, the entire End was destroyed. My brethren, the endermen, were slain in my defeat. This last island is now a mere recreation of the same space in my mind. In short, your soul is temporarily on another plane of existence, just like my presence is." The Ender Dragon eyed him. "I have always been here—biding my time, slowly waiting for my power to manifest itself. Sitting here in this empty headspace has allowed me to...think. You are...the prince of Keldavegr, are you not?"

"I am." Techno glanced upwards at the runes on the pillars, not wanting to make eye contact with the dragon. "Does this mean you're much more powerful now?"

"Never the same level as I once was, but I have acquired sufficient energy in order to reawaken and break through the seal." The Ender Dragon rose, her massive body casting a large shadow over Techno, who seemed so small in comparison. "I've heard your cries from afar. Cyclamen was not tamed by your friend at all—rather, she was sent by _me_ to bring you here, and allow me to talk to you."

"What are you getting at?" Techno tensed, narrowing his eyes. "How could you have heard me?"

"My presence is everywhere, prince. Even though I am...evil according to history, I am still a heavy contributor to the creation of Osiadira. I am engraved on every surface of the earth. I hear everyone's thoughts, whispers, their deepest darkest secrets. It is weaker in some places than others, but where you were was quite close to my resting place, and you were the only voice with strong emotion and clarity," the dragon explained. "You wanted to make a deal. What is your request?"

For a moment, Techno forgot he had been wanting to strike a deal with the dragon, and he hesitated before recalling his original intentions. "Oh yes. Right. I almost forgot."

"Did you really now?" The dragon let out a sharp _tsk_ , smoke flaring from her nostrils in contempt. "I called you all the way here for this. Don't forget on a god."

"Apologies. Being outcast from the castle caused me to lose some of my manners," Techno replied with equal mirth. "I want to use your powers under my control."

"You want me to pass on my power to you? A mere fairy? What makes you think you are worthy?" The dragon tilted her head, seemingly amused by Techno's conviction. "Many have asked to use my power. I have never given it to anyone, though I have allowed some to tame my children, the Draconics, and use them instead. Why should you be allowed to hold the power of the gods?"

"Right now...I can't change anything. I'm unable to fix the things that I have made wrong. Wilbur's pettiness, his drive, it's all those damned nightmare fairies' fault...and this war with those two immortal elves at the center of it all—I want to change everything. I want to make everything right. If you weren't bluffing and truly listen to people in your sleep, you know what I want for this continent. You've sat here all these centuries, thinking about all the actions you've done before to raze this continent. We could help each other. I can change Osiadira, make it the land not centered by gods and magic, but by men—and you can prove yourself worthy to walk the land again, make things right again with Father Sky and Father Dan...establish peace both above and below." Techno laid out his terms, thinking as he spoke. "I'll wake you up. We'll do this together."

The dragon took in his words, thinking for a moment as her head tilted back normally in deep thought. The subspace around them continued to move, warping here and there as if her own thinking seemed to distort the atmosphere itself. Techno watched as she reared back, allowing light in his sight again, and stared straight into his eyes.

"I will take your deal—at a price." Her wings spread open, and Techno retained his neutral expression. "I still need just a little bit more power before I can fully awaken my physical body. That, manifesting on its own, would take another century or two. It can be bypassed, though—at the cost of your most prized possession."

"Most prized?" Techno's eyes widened slightly, and he shifted his weight. "Don't take Jschla—TapL or Wilbur away from me! If that's what it would take, then I refuse!"

"Loyal to your friends, even with the prospect of godly status? Admirable." The dragon laughed in his head, her jaw shaking in an uproarious glee. "No, that is not the cost. The price is your mind—your sanity, your rational thought. Hand it over to me, and you will get what you need."

Techno processed the dragon's words, silenced. The Ender Dragon flew upwards, and Techno watched as she snagged a rune from atop one of the pillars before flying back down. In her claw, the rune shrunk to the size of a pendant, glowing with a bright purplish color. She dropped it in front of Techno, prodding it. "Take the end crystal. When you've made your choice, smash it. It will explode and take you here back to me. That clearing is well-hidden, shrouded by a magic barrier. You must have felt it when you came in. Fate does not play this game unless it has its own intentions, you and me both."

Techno picked up the rune, stuffing it into his tunic with an unreadable expression. The dragon's laugh continued to echo in his head as everything shifted, and he fell into the void.

_______

"...and that’s exactly what happened," Techno murmured as he held the rune in his palm, the crystal glowing with a faint purplish light. The dragon behind him remained still, but he was more wary than ever now that he knew the dragon was always listening. He stuffed the rune back into his tunic's hidden pocket. "I don't know if I'm willing to get rid of my own mind for my ideals."

"She sounds very different in comparison to what history depicted her as," TapL noted. "Either way, we have to be wary...you're going to have to make your choice soon. Who knows how many people will be slaughtered before this conflict ends? Wilbur's asking for a complete turnaround of the past couple of centuries. If we're going to stop him, then—"

"Who—oh, it's you guys!" A sharp voice cut through TapL's words, and Techno whirled around instantly to see a heavily-armored fairy step into the clearing, a line of soldiers behind him. It only took TapL one glance at the fairy's helmet to immediately identify the newcomer. Glancing over at the cave, he saw that the Ender Dragon was gone, along with Cyclamen (although the Draconic had left their possessions on the ground).

"General Seepeekay!? What are _you_ doing here!?" TapL drew his knife, and all the soldiers behind Seepeekay unsheathed their weapons. Techno eyed his axe from where their possessions were only a little bit behind them, ready to move at a moment's notice.

"Unexpected meeting, huh?" Almost immediately, the general's voice became cheerful and much more relaxed, though that didn't provide TapL nor Techno any sort of relief. "Went on a scouting mission since we're supposed to be expecting an attack on Miraga Valley soon. Didn't expect to run into you guys here! You guys do realize Wilbur's looking for you, right?"

"I'm aware." Techno's jaw clenched, stepping backwards slowly as he reached for his axe. "I'm not going back."

"Awh, what? I was seriously hoping we would be able to like...discuss going back and stuff. But I guess not." Seepeekay's smile turned to a frown, seemingly _almost_ distressed at the fact. "Where's Jschlatt?"

"Why would I tell you?" Techno snapped defensively, and Seepeekay threw his hands up, eyes wide. "None of your business!"

"Chill out! I don't even want to take you back. But if Wilbur finds out I've seen you and let you go, he'll go mad! Sorry about this, dude. Wish we could be a bit more diplomatic." Seepeekay glanced away guiltily before pointing at them both, his soldiers at the ready. "Get them!"

"TapL, let's go!" Techno hissed, hoisting both of their supply packs on his shoulders. He whirled around to barely block off an attack from the first soldier with his axe, TapL immediately rushing in and slicing quickly at the soldier's neck. The grip on his weapon loosened and TapL took the window of time to bolt, Techno following him as they fled from the clearing. Quickly, forest overtook them as both of them took flight, heading to the top of the trees—one on the treetops, jumping from on to another whilst the other flew. As TapL rose above into the sunlight, Techno quickly followed with his bloodied axe in tow.

"How did they find us!?" TapL gasped. "Where's Cyclamen!?"

"Cyclamen was never tamed! The Ender Dragon sent her to us in order to bring us to her. She planned for us to meet up all along. Now that I've talked to the Ender Dragon, there's no point in having her around anymore—which honestly sucks, because we need to get away fast!" Techno stopped midair to clash with another soldier, quickly felling them with a swipe of his large blade.

"Where do you think we should go next, then?" TapL asked, firing a Blizzard spell at another fairy to freeze them in midair, causing them to fall back into the leafy canopy below.

"South! The Cliffs of Norregarrd—if they're fighting at Miraga, we need to get down so they can't find us so quickly. I'll just carry you, grab on!" Techno temporarily disabled another fairy with Abraxas, nodding at TapL as the disabled fairy jumped and landed on Techno's back, the two headed in the same direction.

"You're lucky I can't fly with this armor on," Seepeekay murmured from below, watching them go. He waved his hand over, calling back the remaining soldiers. "Willing to kill his own kind...brutal. Everyone, go through the fallen and take whatever you deem necessary. We have to move on."

_______

His eyes opened slowly as everything came into focus. Immediately, pain shot up the back of his neck, and he reached up to rub the spot, trying to relieve his ache. Blinking the weariness out of his eyes he peered around, attempting to get any idea of his surroundings.

_Where was he?_

Memories of the previous night flashed through his mind--the assassin from the trees shooting him with some sort of poisoned arrow, and him slowly losing consciousness as the substance took effect. Now, it seemed that the effects had worn off, though he had no clue if the substance was still in his body.

Currently, he seemed to be inside a prison, with iron-clad bars glowing with magic sealing him inside a cell. The cell itself was made of stone, the only light coming from above in a glowing lantern. He was currently sitting in a chair, a bed nearly with neatly folded sheets embedded on the side of the wall. He attempted to cast some magic with a flick of his hand, but nothing came up, not even a simple Fire spell. It seemed his magic was sealed--and not only just inside the cell. It seemed like someone had cast a barrier on himself, to keep him from casting magic at all.

"You're awake. Come with me." A voice broke his train of thought, and he turned to the bars where another man stood. The other man seemed to be a cleric, holding a stave in one hand and wearing long robes like most priests did. Light brown hair fell in front of his face as he leaned over to open the bars with a set of keys. "I'll take you to the king."

"Who are you? Where am I?" For some reason, he didn't bother trying to resist--maybe it was because his voice no longer held power, or that he didn't really have the nerve to hurt the cleric's calm face. He merely stepped out of the cell, following the cleric as they went down damp hallways towards a staircase.

"I'm BajanCanadian...Bajan for short. You're currently in Hyllifold at the castle. Like I said, I'm taking you to the king. He wants to talk to you, Ph1lza." The cleric calmly went up the staircase and opened a door, leading back into the main corridors of the large Hyllifoldian castle.

Ph1lza glanced around at the different engravings on the walls, the large banners draping over the stained-glass windows. They reminded him often about the church he grew up in, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. No longer wanting to look at the castle interior, he trained his gaze downward towards the red carpet lining the marble floors. An eerie silence filled the castle, and he wondered why.

"It's quiet," he murmured.

"War changes things," Bajan replied with a sad tone. "Breaks right through what we think is 'normal' and just messes everything up, it seems. The castle is empty because there is no use protecting it from inside." He began to climb another flight of stairs, Ph1lza following.

The rest of the trip remained silent as they reached the top of the stairs, having climbed a number of other floors. Bajan stopped in front of a double door, glancing back at Ph1lza. "I know we're not on the same side here. But please cooperate with everything they say. Hear them out."

Ph1lza didn't reply, unsure of how to respond. Bajan didn't seem to expect an answer. In the end, the elf pushed open the double doors, walking in with Ph1lza trailing behind.

The room turned out to be a council meeting room, with clear windows instead of stained glass overlooking the entire kingdom lining the sides of the oval-shaped room. Marble pillars held up the dome ceiling that depicted tapestries of countless history, and in the middle of it all was a table with hardly any chairs filled in at all. No guards. No soldiers. Bajan closed the doors behind them as Ph1lza eyed each person in the room.

On the left side sat one general with a halberd leaning on the edge of his seat, dark skin showing from under his helment. He wore bandages on his arm, his seat lined with more pillows than usual. On the right was the assassin from last night, green mask still covering his face as he slept. Next to him sat a brown-haired man with a mace in hand, wearing the clothes of bandits and brigands adorned with silver and gold.

At the head of the table himself was the king--Preston. During the war, the robes of the king had turned into armor instead--a tunic covered by metal plates that seemed to be slightly curved, along with a skirt of fiery cloth and pauldrons with extended horns. His entire color scheme was like that of lava and fire, matching perfectly with his log-colored hair.

"Take a seat," Preston offered as Bajan sat down next to the general. Ph1lza took the opposite side of Preston, uncomfortable of being in the spotlight so suddenly. "You're Ph1lza, right?"

"That's me," Ph1lza replied.

"Are you with Keldavegr?" Preston asked right off the bat, throwing Ph1lza off slightly. _Is this an interrogation?_

"No..." Ph1lza didn't exactly know which side he was on. Naturally, it would make sense to side with Keldavegr, but in truth he didn't really care so as long as Techno was alright and that he was left alone. He preferred solitude.

"Okay. I'll cut straight to the point, then. Did a nightmare fairy come to you recently? And were there two elves along with him?" Preston implored, tapping his finger on the table.

Ph1lza's eyes widened at the sudden mention of George, Dream, and Sapnap. How could they have known about their arrival to his temple? Had he been watched from the very beginning? "Yes. Who told you this?"

"An old elf priest made it to our kingdom. Shortly before his death, he told us that he had sent a fairy and two elves to your temple." Preston eyed Ph1lza, expecting more information. "You do know about the criminal nightmare fairy, and about the immortal elves then, right? Was it them that came to your temple?"

"I...yeah. Yeah." Ph1lza didn't see any possible way he could get out of this situation without telling the truth. His voice magic was silenced by some sort of invisible barrier. He wasn't much of a physical fighter, so he was sure that if he tried to run anyone would be able to quickly pulverize him. "I'm friends with Prince Technoblade."

"Oh?" Preston, genuinely surprised, leaned back in his chair. "So did you see Technoblade since the war started?"

"Er...no. To be honest, I didn't know the war was happening until Dream came by." Ph1lza frowned. "My temple is secluded, so I don't keep up with the moving world."

"So Technoblade is still missing," Preston murmured, ignoring how Ph1lza seemed distressed at his words. "Dream and Sapnap are aware of the war...so why aren't they helping?"

"Could be scared of the war," the general spoke, a heavy accent lacing his words. "They ran away after the last major battle in the War Between Heaven and Earth. Never got to see the fruits of their efforts. Could still be traumatized."

"They've had 2,000 years to get over it, Vikk," the brigand spoke. "Maybe they're trying to help us without being too obvious about it? They're still being hunted down after all, even in the middle of all of this chaos."

"Fair point, but they haven't seen much of anything since that time--hiding in a nice prison of a cabin in the forest. Maybe Sapnap--we know he's the mysterious 'N' mercenary guy going around--but maybe not Dream, especially since he was the only survivor on the Brazen Hill," Bajan interrupted. "He could be running away."

"Bajan, Woofless, Vikk--let's all get back on topic here. Someone wake up Pete," Preston grumbled as the three apologized to the king immediately. Woofless (who Ph1lza could now identify as the brigand person) was shaking Pete (the assasin from the night before) out of his slumber. "So Ph1lza...what happened in your encounter with Dream?"

Ph1lza sighed. _There's really no way out of this, huh?_ "Alright. They came to my temple, asking for a cleansing. I recognized them right away, but I didn't say anything about it. It was four of them actually--Dream, Sapnap, George who's the nightmare fairy that Keldavegr's hunting down, and the human from Fimbulwinter..." The rest of the story flowed out of his mouth, though he still didn't understand how they had managed to escape from his hellhole. He left out the part of him being half-siren, though by the way Bajan was staring at his ears he had the suspicion that at least one of them already knew.

"So the human's a part of their group, too? Unusual bunch," Pete noted. "So nothing happened after that until I came by and kidnapped you. You have no clue where they're going next."

"Nope," Ph1lza replied. "I just want to get back to my temple. I need to help Techno catch them."

"You won't," Preston spoke up, his words filled with empty cheer. "Prince Technoblade may no longer be with Wilbur, but he is still an enemy. It's safe to assume you're an enemy too, if you're working with or for him. But we want to put your skills to good use."

"Oh, so we're proposing deals now?" Ph1lza raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"Not so much of a deal, really. More like an order since you don't really have a choice. From now on, your alliance is with Hyllifold. You will not be assisting Technoblade in capturing the group--rather, you'll be helping us. We will be working to stop Keldavegr from razing Osiadira, and at the same time bring Dream and Sapnap back to us so we can get them with us as well. Along with Bajan you'll be a head cleric, and will be allowed in our council meetings since, in a way, you're a general as well. Either way, you'll be playing an important part in the war. Stopping bloodshed," Preston offered, laying out his cards on the table. Everyone seemed surprised at the gesture--no one else predicted this.

"Do you have goals for yourself, Ph1lza? For who you want to be?" Bajan asked softly.

Ph1lza swallowed in all the information, incredulous at the idea, before reflecting on Bajan's words. "I once did. Not anymore "

"Then instead of staying at your temple being hellbent on vengeance, stay here with us, and find that purpose once again--or a new one." Preston watched Ph1lza expectantly. "What do you think?"

Ph1lza sat there, not sure what to do. For the past couple of years his life had been centered on healing others and living in solitude. But now, in a time where peace was threatened everywhere, that life of solitude seemed so...hollow. In this world, where war gave people a purpose, he had nothing. Even Techno, his solace, was missing.

He didn't want to do it, but at the same time, what would he be if he didn't?

"Okay," he reluctantly spoke. "I'll join Hyllifold in the war."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also finished writing this at 2am argh, i really wish all my inspiration didn't come when i was trying to sleep
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	14. Bane of Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Muffinteers slowly bond and plan together their next move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this chapter is short and more filler, sorry about that :((( hopefully we'll get to see more next time
> 
> ON THAT NOTE 3000 HITS!? YALL ARE TOO NICE OMFG. I NEVER THOUGHT WE'D GET THIS FAR SO THANK YOU FOR STICKING BY ME :D
> 
> song inspo: [fe sov - sea winds and travelers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFabV06sWkY)

Dream bit down into the golden apple, feeling the effects of the fruit wear down at his seasickness. Though he enjoyed staring out at the water, his body begged to differ, and often he would have to ruin the pretty view by vomiting over the side of the boat. The rocking of the ship made his stomach slosh and churn. He had already gotten rid of the morning's breakfast; he didn't want to throw up on an empty stomach anymore.

"You alright?" Sapnap stared worriedly at his brother, cape wrapped around his shoulders to protect from the sea breeze.

"Want me to be honest? No," Dream grumbled as he took another bite. "Where's Bad?"

"Down below. He's using the compass to help us reach Lofnheim. Since it's already been a week since we've left, we should be just far enough from the west coast of Keldavegr." Sapnap stared at a map in his hands, outlining their route with his finger. "We're lucky it's clear skies. If it ever storms, we're in for some serious trouble."

"It's been sunny for seven days straight?" Dream glanced at the cloudless sky, intrigued. "That's weird. Maybe there is a storm coming and we're just avoiding it by running away."

"Kinda like how we're running away from this war. Lofnheim still hasn't made a move." Sapnap put the map away. "Be honest—if we were ever to join the war, would we help Hyllifold?"

"Why are you asking this?" Dream retaliated. "We're not going to join the war ever. We're just here to get our curse removed. That's that."

"Yeah, but Hyllifold's been hiding us for two thousand years. They don't do it because they have to, they do it from their own kindness for their species. I just feel like we owe them something, yaknow? Especially since after all this time we haven't done anything to repay them." Sapnap traced circles on the side of the wooden boat, avoiding eye contact with Dream. "Especially since we both know Preston isn't a very upfront person. He was never trained for war. He's holding his ground, but he still doesn't know what to do."

"Well, maybe you feel like you owe them something, but honestly I just see this as some sort of courtesy from them. I don't think we need to repay them—our services in the war were already enough." Dream frowned, voice turning slightly bitter. "Besides, I was always in the shadows. I never got your fame or even the chance to reach your status solely because I was a commoner. The queen knew, and yet she didn't even try to stop the king from shunning me. Everyone watched me suffer. I don't blame you, of course. You couldn't do anything about it."

"Things have changed quite a bit in two thousand years, Dream," Sapnap snapped.

"I wouldn't know," Dream retorted, and Sapnap glanced away. Their conversation lapsed into silence, neither one willing to speak up. After a couple more minutes, Dream's sour stomach was no longer an imminent threat, suppressed by the effects of the golden apple. He returned to staring at the waves, lost in his thoughts. Sapnap was sharpening his sword with a whetstone, the scraping noise breaking the tension between them and providing some solace from their bout of anger. Though the two often had arguments here and there, they would always fade into domesticity, common sounds of what was their norm easing their guards and keeping them from lashing out too much at one another. Dream especially was known for holding grudges, and when his mellowness was overcome by rage he sometimes couldn't control himself.

"Hey, you guys good?" Bad's calm voice broke through the wordless tranquility, and Dream turned to see him and George appear from the lower deck. "We just finished."

"Yeah, I'm feeling better. What progress are we making right now?" Dream rose from where he was sitting and everyone sat around in a circle on the boat, Bad unfurling the more-detailed version of the Osiadira map. Along the parchment were different lines marked with differently-dyed ink, red and purple streaks drawn across the paper.

"Okay, right now we're west of Keldavegr's shore." Bad pointed to their presumed location on the map, the ocean on the west. "We're trying to reach Lofnheim, which is here." He redirected his finger towards the large desert island just a little bit below where Keldavegr jutted out from the northwest of Osiadira's mainland. "We're about to near the atoll over here on the side, where the water currents will change direction, trying to veer us towards Keldavegr's main coast once again. When we reach there, we need someone to be rowing at all times to keep the water from pushing us into the Keldavegr line of sight. I say we try to land on Lofnheim as soon as possible, on its northern cape. What do you guys think?"

"Maybe redirect a little more west? So we can arrive around the lagoon in the northwest, where we can be much closer to where their temples are...who's the leader of Lofnheim again?" Sapnap scratched his head, squinting in the daylight.

"Purpled, along with his younger brother TommyInnit. If I recall correctly, both of them are only sixteen," George mused.

"Wait... _sixteen!?_ That's so young! At most in Hyllifold that would be a soldier, but no way a general—much less a leader," Dream protested, bewildered.

"Yeah...apparently, the previous ruler died from a sudden illness. They just got out of some sort of epidemic, so they've been mostly rebuilding their economy and getting things back to normal again. Purpled is young, but he knows what he's doing—though the sudden new civil war is probably messing up his plans. Either way, Purpled's supposedly a very benevolent person. We should be fine," Bad presumed.

"I mean, the same thing was said about Wilbur, and here we are," Sapnap countered. "We should still keep up our guard, just in case."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Dream glanced over towards George, who had been mostly silent the entire time. "George? You good?"

"Huh? Me? Oh, I'm alright." George waved him off. "Just thinking is all. I've only been to Lofnheim once, and it was very different from Osiadira in pretty much everything—climate, culture, tradition, you name it. Most nightmare fairies don't go to Lofnheim because there's nowhere good to hide, and most villages are very sparse and have nothing worth taking since most of Lofnheim is considered worthless in Keldavegr." His expression grew forlorn.

"You make it sound like it's dirt-poor," Sapnap noted.

"Well...it kind of is right now, since their epidemic turned everything upside down. But on the bright side, it's not like they're going to be sending troops to Keldavegr." George stared at the blob on the map, eyes wistful.

"Are...are we rooting for Hyllifold here, or..." Bad's voice faltered. "I've always been a neutral-party kind of person especially since neither species seem to like me at all, but this war is making me root for Hyllifold."

"I would be neutral if this wasn't threatening our safety," Dream muttered. "For the sake of surviving, I think we're team Hyllifold. Doesn't mean we'll join the war, though." At that last sentence, he glared at Sapnap, who glanced away. Bad's eyebrow quirked, noticing the subtle shift in tension, but George remained unfazed and instead changed the subject. "What's the other lines for? I was gonna ask you down there but you were too busy concentrating."

"Oh, I'm trying to predict what kind of battles and routes both sides would take. There's definitely been one battle already--probably initiated by Keldavegr since they're on the offensive--and that probably happened close to the Hyllifold border because Preston can be a bit slow sometimes in figuring out when someone would strike. Maybe next Hyllifold will go for an offensive approach--though judging from how Preston operates, it'll probably be very difficult." Bad traced each red line as he went, everyone else listening intently.

"Gee Bad, you're pretty good at this. Maybe you can finally beat Dream in a game of chess," Sapnap joked.

"What's that supposed to imply, huh!? My chess skills are superior. I _did_ study tactics for a large majority of my life, after all." Dream held himself up with pride, not wanting it to be crushed by Bad.

"Chess? I've never learned how to play chess--only checkers," George murmured. "Keldavegr was never one for chess, nor did I have the time to ever finish playing a game of chess. Too busy being constantly on the move and stuff."

"What about when you left Osiadira? You said you learned new magic that we don't know of. Maybe you had more time?" Drean suggested.

"Well, I spent all my time focusing on learning the magic. It was difficult for me, especially since my magic abilities started to go wonky at that point--"

"Wait," Bad interrupted. " _Wonky_? What are you talking about?"

"Well, not long after I left Osiadira, it was like my magic was being dismantled and haphazardly scattered. I would attempt to cast a Fire spell and a Thoron would come out, or I would try to hit something and accidentally hit myself. It was like everything was backwards. I was thinking it had to do with me leaving Osiadira, so when I was gone I focused learning the magic over there so I could feel as if I was wielding magic normally again. Either way everything got fixed when I came back and stepped onto the land, so I think it was just that." George traced a magic circle in the air, careful not to accidentally cast any random spells.

"That's so weird...maybe it was around the same time nightmare fairies started disappearing off the grid?" Sapnap rummaged through his bag, pulling out a cookie before chowing down on it.

"I thought the sudden depopulation was a while ago," Dream frowned.

"Well, it was, but it was still in my lifetime," Bad pointed out. "George, how old are you?"

"Uh...23, I believe? I haven't been keeping good track of my age since we never have time to celebrate birthdays. What about you two? I mean, I know you guys are over two thousand but physically how old are you?" George turned to Dream, who felt uncomfortable with the fairy's eyes on him.

"Well...not counting the two thousand years, I'm around 20 by now. Ph1lza said he helped with my aging so that I wouldn't age so slowly. Within the next five hundred years I should be 21. That's if we don't get the curse off in your lifetimes. Sapnap's 19, also not counting those 2 millenia." Dream recalled the half-siren and shuddered--mind magic, whether it was from nightmare fairies or the alluring voices of the sirens always scared him to death. "I'm a bit tired. I'm going to take a nap."

"Alright, sounds good," Bad concluded, and everyone went their separate ways.

_______

"Can't nap?" Bad climbed back up the ladder, mask off his face as he watched Sapnap stare at the setting sun. "I was about to start preparing dinner."

"Didn't feel the need to sleep," Sapnap replied casually as he eyed his sword. "What's for dinner? You need help?"

"No, I'm alright! And I was thinking of steak with wildberry sauce--and some golden apple porridge for Dream so that he doesn't get seasick again. Probably will use a Fire spell to heat them up." Bad grinned cheerfully, and Sapnap frowned even more.

"Bad, how are you not like...fazed by any of this? A war started on the continent you came just to peacefully reside on, and you gave up living in Fimbulwinter to come and help us. You do realize that there's no way the fairies are going to let you stay here now, right?" Sapnap spun around to face Bad, who was concentrating on heating the steaks with a Fire spell in hand.

Bad's gaze grew distant, his eyes clouded with sadness. "Actually...A lot of other factors came in my decision to join you guys. But if it's for the better, then I'll do it. I want to help you guys."

"You want to help us, but why? There's no way its solely because of the 'goodness in your heart'. There's gotta be more. Did something happen?" Sapnap continued to press on, Bad seemingly withering even more as he tried to keep his flames alight to boil some seawater.

"I just want to protect you from ending up like me," Bad murmured quietly so that Sapnap couldn't hear. Flickers of memories flashed through his mind, and he blinked them away as best as he could, forcing himself to focus on his cooking. The pot tilted slightly, causing a splash of hot water to land on Bad's gloved hand. "Ah!"

"Oh no, you alright?" Sapnap rose immediately, putting the boiling water aside as Bad winced in pain as he diffused the spell, taking off his glove and arm guards. The skin was angry red, though his glove has mostly absorbed the worst of the burn, and Sapnap immediately searched for his healing salve, pulling out the glass jar and holding his friend's hand gently. "Here, I got it."

"Thanks Sapnap," Bad muttered as Sapnap spread the salve on his skin. "Don't put too much though; humans are hypersensitive to the ingredients that grow in Osiadira."

"And that's why you picked Fimbulwinter, right? No wildlife, no flora, no fauna--keeps you from accidentally spontaneously combusting or something. It was almost like you were never meant for magic," Sapnap suggested.

"I'm used to the cold, so that's why I picked Fimbulwinter. As for magic, only a select few humans could wield it, and even then they had to go through a lot of different rituals and practices to master the arts. Maybe I'm just lucky because I used to be a psychedelic therapist, but had I been a normal ordinary human I would've never been able to practice magic nor come here." Bad watched Sapnap wrap his arm in a bandage, sliding the arm guard and glove back onto his arm. "Thanks Sapnap."

"No problem. I'll continue cooking, you just sit back and relax," Sapnap ordered, much to Bad's chagrin. The human opened his mouth to protest, but Sapnap beat him to it. "No ifs, ands, or buts. You don't have to always watch over us, you know. You need to take care of yourself as well."

Bad sat back, presumably defeated, as he watched Sapnap handle the rest of the cooking with relative ease. The sun continued to set as a day drew to a close, one out of many on the sea with more to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up: nasty surprises for a lot of people!
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	15. Melancholic Skies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream realizes that his nightmares are no longer haunting him. The gods head down. Lachlan meets an unfortunate sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3200 hITs LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOO! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS STILL RACKS UP SO MANY HITS omg esp since its in the platonic tag only. I'm so thankful omggggg
> 
> this chapter kinda depressed me to write but that’s because I get too attached to my characters  
> i wrote this half braindead sorry lol
> 
> song inspo: fe sov: fate

He hadn't noticed it at first, but over time his dreams were becoming more and more infrequent, the bloody battle going from a crystal-clear vision to a muddled blob of hazy colors and voices. It was comforting but at the same time also disturbing, as if someone were trying to take away his memories—not that he didn't want to remember the Battle of Flames, but he felt as if it were being forced out of his mind.

That night, after Sapnap and Bad both had gone back below deck to sleep, Dream stayed on the top floor staring at the scattered stars in the sky. He didn't want to sleep quite yet; he was worried that the more he slept, the more his memories of the war would muddle and warp and soon he would lose important memories of the Battle of Flames. Conflicted, he paced around the deck to keep himself from falling asleep.

Moments later, the trapdoor opened and George stepped onto the deck, fluffing out his wings as he watched Dream walk back and forth from port to starboard, confused. "What are you doing?"

"Staying awake," Dream responded tersely, slightly annoyed at the sudden presence. He needed peace and quiet, not a fairy to bother him. "Why are you awake?"

"Was thinking about when Sapnap mentioned that Father Sky told him that something dark was coming, and that the flow of magic was starting to become unstable. We never mentioned that to Bad." George took a seat on the floor, bringing his knees to his chest as his wings curled into himself. "Father Sky and Father Dan...naturally, there's never been a nightmare fairy that's put their faith into the gods—me included—but I don't mess around when higher beings say things like that. After all, the Ender Dragon was a god, and her destruction of Osiadira is real." 

"Oh wow, I almost forgot about that." Dream stopped pacing, surprised. "Father Sky and Father Dan may support two different sides of Osiadira, but overall they're still working together. Maybe the dark thing they were talking about was the war. But I don't understand how the flow of magic became unstable in the first place. If I recall correctly, Sapnap never mentioned anything about the gods saying how it happened in the first place. Do you think they were lying to us?"

"Why would the gods lie to us? What would they gain from that? Yeah sure, they're much stronger than we are and could probably just see us as playthings, but both Keldavegr and Hyllifold have incredibly close relations with the gods, especially since there's so many temples and priests scattered across the mainland. We put our faith in them and choose to trust them knowing that they could turn on us at any moment—but they've already proven they have no ill intentions towards the inhabitants of the land they watch over, notably because the Ender Dragon is already doing that." George's hair fluttered in the sea breeze, eyes slightly glazed over from previous sleep. "If anything, I think the flow of magic is becoming unstable because there's something darker coming from the war...it could be the outcome, or some sort of weapon that Wilbur plans to use...or even Hyllifold falling from their beliefs or something if Preston snaps."

"For a nightmare fairy, you're pretty worried about this war. Isn't it your nature to be more excited for all the chaos that's happening right now?" Dream sat down across from George, studying the fairy's distant expression. "Especially since it provides easier opportunities to steal and raid more people."

"I mean...when I was younger, it was the only thing I knew. But now, I don't want that kind of life. I don't know what's wrong with me," George replied, his voice heavy and disheartened. "All nightmare fairies can just easily steal and raid people without feeling any sort of remorse. But whenever I do it, I feel like I'm taking away a part of someone's life. I'm more emotional than any nightmare fairy and it's scary to think about."

Dream recalled George's dead expression as he killed the fairy slaves that were attacking them, stabbing through their chests without hesitation. Worry filled his heart as he watched the nightmare fairy stare out at the stern, refusing to make eye contact. He glanced down at the deck, avoiding him as well. "You're also a lot more open than I expected you to be."

"Yeah, I don't get that part either. Why am I telling you all of this? There's this like...this incentive? Feeling? I don't know what to label it as, but whatever it is, it just makes me spill everything to you." George locked eyes with Dream, shoulders slumped. "It's weird. You probably think I'm weird. You don't need to hear about my troubles, really—I'm just ranting them all out to you but I'm sure it's nothing in comparison to what you've suffered for the past two thousand years—"

"George." Dream interrupted the fairy, feeling pretty awkward himself. "It's fine. Really. Stop undermining your past and your struggles because I suffered more. Don't invalidate yourself like that. You're a good person; you may not think you are but your emotions are what make you more...what would Bad say? Human, I believe? Like you're more understanding of others, or something. I'm not too good with understanding it myself."

"Oh." George glanced away, breaking their prolonged eye contact. Tears began to well up at the base of his eyes, threatening to spill. "I think it's about time I told you that I've been awake a lot more recently because of your nightmares. There was one night...I don't remember if you were awake or not, but I had the same dream that you did. I was in _your_ place. I saw everything happen, I felt your phantom pains, I watched your—your friend burn and I saw my ancestor and I—" He stopped, choking on his words before continuing. "I saw everything."

Dream stared at George, eyes wide. "So...the reason why my nightmares were becoming less frequent—"

"—was because I was taking them to understand your pain and sorrows." George finished. Guilt racked his expression, and a couple of tears dribbled down his cheeks. He refused to make eye contact with Dream, folding into himself even more as Dream lifted his hand. 

The first thing Dream felt was rage. How could George just go into his mind like that without his permission? Invading his privacy, not to mention his sleep...he felt as if he were about to snap. The second thing Dream felt was confusion. Though he was mad about George going into his dream like that, he was surprised to see that the fairy was only doing it to understand his pain. What did he want out of that? More suffering? He couldn't understand his intentions.

The third thing he felt was sympathy, and he _seriously_ didn't understand where in the blazes it came from. Then again, George had pretty much just gone through the exact same trauma that Dream did. He retracted his hand. His anger ebbed away as he watched George seem to shrivel from where he sat, not sure how to comfort the fairy. If he reassured him that he was okay with George going into his mind, he would be lying. But if he reprimanded him, he was sure that he would just be a hypocrite from his previous words. George was emotional, but he wasn't dumb. Fairies were known for being incredibly smart, an advantage they had over the elves.

"Will you give my nightmares back?" He asked instead.

"Do you want them back?" George whispered quietly, his voice hoarse.

Dream paused at the question, hesitating before answering. "I feel like if I lose them entirely, I'll forget something important. Like how A6D died, or something else that could clue into helping us remove the curse."

"But those same memories are killing you," George pointed out, and Dream's voice died. "You're grounded, but only barely. Being stuck in that paradisal prison of a cabin has done nothing good for you. Now that you're out, you're avoiding another war to save yourself—which isn't bad per se, but how will you ever find closure?" When Dream said nothing, George continued on, wiping his tears. "You're a fighter, not a coward—you're not the kind of person to wallow in misery."

"You're not me," Dream defended, standing up. "You don't know me."

"And do you know yourself?" George replied.

Dream didn't answer. Instead, he stared out at the skies again. He didn't want to look at George. "I don't know if I want my memories back," he responded truthfully in order to avoid the subject.

Thankfully, it worked. "As a nightmare fairy, we have the power to go through one's dreams. My parents have always told me that the purpose of nightmare fairies were to alleviate people's sufferings and pains. It was a sort of backwards torture almost--to make people so happy and free that they would be indebted to us, allowing us to provide more strategy for stealing food and water and a great deal of other things to survive. Over time, we're able to take memories from other's dreams and experience them for ourselves. They fuel our magic and make us more powerful—like a reverse lifesteal. If I'm going to be honest, I may not be able to return your memory anyway. People think I'm powerful because I know otherworldly magic but that isn't true. My nightmare powers remain the same." George closed his eyes. "What do you see when you sleep?"

"Well...it's mostly the same events, just that they're a lot more murky and subdued." Dream tried his best to recall the changes over time. "It's like I'm experiencing the whole thing underwater with blurry vision."

"But you still remember the details, right?" George questioned. 

"Yeah, sometimes there's breakthroughs here and there. Especially A6D—" He stopped, not wanting to think of his archer friend, and shook his head. "Either way, most of it is still there. You haven't wiped my memory at all." Dream searched for something to look at besides the sky, but there was nothing but the endless sea. "You're lucky you can control what dreams you have."

"I can only control the dreams that I take from others...not my own. Most of my dreams are me trying to conjure what colors I can't see," George sighed. "I search in this massive void for what green or red could possibly look like, but I can't seem to quite figure out what they are—"

"Wait. You can't see green or red?" Dream's eyes widened.

"No...they come out yellowish. Sometimes I confuse blue and purple as well, but it's not as bad as red or green." George touched his wings slightly, staring at the hues. "It's...what's the term? Colorblindness, I believe. It only affects the colors I see, but not my magic ability or anything like that."

"Which means..." Dream grabbed his neon-green cape, holding it up as he turned back to George. "You see this as yellow...?"

"Yeah. Your cape and your eyes look yellowish to me. I don't know if there's a spell that can cure colorblindness. They haven't made any sort of breakthroughs for that." George's eyes flickered towards the cape before he turned back to the ocean. "Don't bother. It's not that important."

Dream wanted to disagree, but he realized that he was getting sleepier by the minute, and as much as he didn't want to sleep and fall back into his nightmares, he needed more energy for the coming week ahead—where they would be reaching the atoll and being forced to row. A yawn escaped his lips, and George looked back, cracking a slight smile. "Sleepy?"

"Wish I wasn't. I was trying to avoid sleeping because I was worried it would take my memory of the battle more and more," Dream murmured, conflicted.

"Nightmare or no nightmare, rest is important. Go down. I'll just stay up here," George hummed, expression unreadable.

"Goodnight," Dream relented, heading towards the trapdoor. As he climbed down into the lower deck, he stopped to watch George. The nightmare fairy stared out at the ocean, his shoulders relaxed and his entire mind seemingly at peace. For some reason, it comforted Dream to see that the fairy was alright, even though he had told himself he wouldn't get attached. Before George could notice Dream was staring at him, the elf closed the trapdoor and collapsed onto his bunk, falling into a dreamless slumber.

_______

"We're in the Ialosian Plains," Dan determined as he landed onto the grass softly. His wings shimmered out of existence as he disguised himself as a normal being, Sky doing the same with the horns on his head. "It's awfully quiet."

"War makes everyone abandon other places. Sooner or later this might become a battlefield." Sky made a 360, making sure no one else was nearby. "I can't seem to sense her presence anymore. It's as if she decided to shroud herself even more."

"Do you think she fell asleep again?" Dan began to walk towards the south, Sky following.

"Doubt it. If anything, she could be awake enough to escape our clutches. Thankfully, she shouldn't be able to awaken her physical body. That would be the worst outcome." With every step that Sky took, the grass around him seemed to flourish and bloom even more. "She's not the biggest of our worries though. The _main_ problem is what's underground."

"Surprised not many people decided to continue their research on it further. It would've seriously helped," Dan muttered. "We need to find an opening—their entrance and exit. Who knows if they've already started to infiltrate the aboveground? We need to stop him before this goes on any further."

"Even if we might die during the process?" Sky asked.

"We vowed a long time ago to devote our lives to protect Osiadira from anything that threatens its safety. If we have to give up our lives to seal any major powers from razing the continent again...then so be it." Dan seemed to be concentrating, searching for an entrance. "From what I can tell...this new force has been planning this for a long, long time...this could stretch back to when the ancient gods were still alive."

"When Stampy and PopularMMOs were still alive!? _That_ long ago!?" Sky's eyes widened in horror and realization. "Are they affiliated with the Ender Dragon?"

"No, I don’t think so. Otherwise, we would've sensed them long ago when she went on her rampage." A grin broke out on Dan's face. "Found it!"

"You found an entrance already!?" Sky was immediately skeptical. "What if it's a trap?"

"It's our only lead. We have to take the chance." Dan glanced back at Sky. "You coming?"

"Obviously. What else am I supposed to do? Wander?" Sky shrugged, and the two gods began making their way towards the entrance.

_______

"We're very close now," Lachlan addressed his army. "You can see in the distance Miraga Valley, right? Around the sides are stone walls. We can easily destroy those with some catapults, which two groups will stay behind for. Only come in if things go awry. We need to destroy those walls first—preferably somewhere where they'll be distracted, so another group can infiltrate from the other side and start destroying supplies. The pegasus knights will take an approach from above—let's try to come in from the back where they least expect us to be. Does that make sense?"

The army nodded their agreement, and Lachlan grinned. "Alright guys. Remember, if things go bad, fight with our all! I'll call a retreat when things get especially dire, but there's a good chance that won't happen. For the future!"

"For the future!" The army whisper-roared, aware that if they yelled it at the top of their lungs, they were bound to attract attention.

"Alright, let's go! It's night and it seems like a number of them are asleep, minus the guards, so this is a good time. Group A, prepare to enter from the left. Group B, to the right. Groups C and D, prepare the catapults! Group E will head straight forward, and all pegasus knights, come with me!" Lachlan strapped his axe to his back as he climbed onto his pegasus, rearing her back before taking to the skies with every other one in tow. In the near distance, he could see the torches lining the stone exterior of the valley, the entire area covered in stone and ice as part of its natural biome. He rose higher to the point where they were safely covered by clouds, leading his battalion forward.

For a while, there was nothing but nervous silence as they made way over the camp. Lachlan dropped down slightly to see the interior—many tents and camps, as well as some farms for endless supplies of food as well as a number of catapults and onagers. He made note of all the essential supply points, and flew back up. "We're almost on the other side," he addressed his comrades. "Get ready to dive and destroy."

As soon as the words left his mouth, screams and shouts began to erupt from below. Lachlan dipped down to see what was going on, and to his surprise, he saw the stone walls already in flames, and fairies taking flight. Some were directly heading towards him, whilst others were heading to intercept the other groups that had just made their way into the fortress. Some supplies were already in flames, but others were left untouched—either from neglect or a lack of time. _It's too early!_

"Change of plans! Dive in _now_!" Lachlan quickly yelled at his battalion before rushing down to meet the first fairy, dodging their spells before clashing weapons. He sliced across their wing, tearing it effectively before moving on. As his battalion took on the other fairies, he made his way down to the encampment below, avoiding arrows from fairy archers as he made quick work of them. He fired a Cutting Gale at one area, tearing it apart with strong winds. He was about to prepare another before he noticed the spear flying towards him, and he maneuvered his pegasus out of the way. Out of the smoke and flames appeared an armored fairy, Thunder spell in one hand and lance in the other. Lachlan recognized him immediately, eyes wide. "Seepeekay!?"

"Lachlan!?" The fairy general gaped at him, bright orange wings blending in with the flames in the background. "Y-You're a general?"

"I thought—I thought you were an elf!" Lachlan gaped at Seepeekay. "You didn't have wings when you were younger!"

"I was a late bloomer, alright? I thought I was an elf too! That was, until I found my adopted family realized I was a fairy and they kicked me out...I wasn't expecting to see you here. We're enemies now...aren't we?" Fear flashed across his face. "I don't want to fight you!"

"I don't want to fight you either, but this is war, Seepeekay!" Lachlan readied his axe, face filled with pain. "I wish we could've caught up some other time, but not right now!"

"Can't you just retreat?" Seepeekay begged.

"People are dying on both sides for our countries' sake. I've sworn my loyalty to King Preston, and I'm not backing down without finishing what I started. You should do the same," Lachlan murmured. "The least I can do is encourage you to fight back."

Seepeekay spun his lance, shakily sighing before raising his spell-ready hand. "Okay. Okay, I'll fight back. But I won't go easy on you!"

Lachlan nodded, rearing his pegasus. "Let's get this over with!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anddddd now there's another battle, yay...
> 
> next up: more violence, more fighting, and more sadness D:
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always :D


	16. Thorn In You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lachlan and Seepeekay face off in another battle—one that turns against them. Meanwhile, Hyllifold falls farther into danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3500 HITS THIS IS SO FANATASITC THATNK YOY ALL I CANT EVEN SPELL PROPERLY. THANK YOY SO MUCH
> 
> this chapter made me cry a bit :(  
> somewhat filler but its necessary
> 
> song inspo: fe3h: between heaven and earth (thunder)

_"Seepeekay!" The childish, immature voice of Lachlan echoed through the village as the young boy ran down the grass-cut path, calling for his name. "Where are you?"_

_All around him, elves continued to do their daily tasks. Some farmers waved to the bright boy before continuing to nurture their potatoes and carrots. The butcher nearby was checking on his cows, feeling them to see if they were ready for cutting. A cartographer was busy talking to the head cleric, identifying different materials and associating them with different locations on his map. Lachlan's parents were busy trading in the market, so he had been free to play with his best friend. Currently, they were playing hide-and-seek, and he had been searching for Seepeekay for about five minutes now._

_Silence met his words, and Lachlan nearly ran into the iron golem as a result. The golem creaked and groaned before looking down at him, its features contorting into a soft smile._

_"Hiya Mr. Golem! Did you see my friend?" Lachlan asked._

_The golem seemed to hesitate, frowning before shaking its large head and shrugging, the iron plates creaking as it did. Lachlan's face fell momentarily, but he soon grinned again and waved him off. "That's okay! I'll find him eventually! Thanks, Mr. Golem!"_

_The iron golem waved one of its dangly arms in the air as Lachlan went on his way, running past him and towards the trees surrounding the village outskirts. As he neared the edge, he heard a distant giggle from one of the hay bales, and perked up. "I heard that!"_

_In response, there was only another giggle, and Lachlan headed toward the direction of the noise, looking through the hay bales carefully as to not dislodge them too much. After carefully moving a couple, he could see the blond tufts of hair that he recognized all too well. "Found you!"_

_"Awh, I was hoping you wouldn't hear me," Seepeekay pouted as he climbed from where he had been hiding underneath a pile of hay bales, dusting himself off. His grin stretched from ear to ear, happiness radiating from his face. "You're too good at this!"_

_"You're too loud," Lachlan countered, and Seepeekay laughed, his voice cheerful._

_"I heard the older kids are going to be learning how to fight today," Seepeekay announced. "Wanna go watch together?"_

_"Isn't it dangerous?" Lachlan protested, but already Seepeekay was dragging him towards the training grounds at the other side of the village, where some of the older children were holding training weapons—namely swords, lances, and axes. Some were reaching for training bows, but the instructor waved them off, reassuring them that they would be able to try those when they were a little bit older. Lachlan followed Seepeekay to the top of another pile of hay bales, overlooking the training grounds with excitement._

_"They look so cool," Lachlan murmured._

_"When I grow up, I want to be able to fight with a lance," Seepeekay proclaimed proudly. "They're like longer swords! And people look awesome when they fight with them."_

_"Ooooh, I don't know about me." Lachlan contemplated for a moment before brightening. "Maybe an axe? Because I wanna get bigger and stronger in the future, so I wanna use an axe to knock people down easily!"_

_"You'd look so cool," Seepeekay exclaimed. "We can be a duo together—taking out rogues and bandits to protect our village from the fairies. I can use my lance to fend them off while you take them out with your axe!"_

_"Yes! We should totally do that," Lachlan agreed, high-fiving Seepeekay. "Let's work together to become strong and help protect our village like the instructor."_

_"Yeah! And when we grow up, let's be the strongest duo. We'll be unstoppable," Seepeekay added._

_"Let's do this together!"_

Miraga Valley was up in flames. All around the stone-ladened valley were multiple tents and structures all on fire, the fortress walls crumbling as multiple elves clashed with fairies rudely interrupted from their slumbers. The icy ground was quickly melting as fire raged throughout the encampment, the screams of both sides alike filling the crisp night air.

Lachlan deftly maneuvered through the onslaught of arrows and spears being launched at him, taking out any bystanders as he attempted to focus on his main target. Likewise, Seepeekay was fending off three elves at once, his armor effectively nullifying their pitiful attempts at slaughter. With a powerful thrust one elf went down, blood spurting in all directions as Seepeekay's lance impaled his chest.

After successfully disabling all the nearby archers from reaching him, Lachlan flew back down, ready to strike at Seepeekay. The fairy almost didn't notice his presence as he dove downward, bloody axe in hand. It was only when an elf moved out of Lachlan's way did he then turn and parry the axe with his lance, metal clashing against metal as sparks flew. To Lachlan's surprise, Seepeekay was unexpected much stronger than he anticipated, driving him back easily as he soared back into the air, pegasus whinnying.

"Focus on the original objective! I'll handle him," Lachlan ordered as the remaining two elves attempting to attack Seepeekay relented, focusing on their main task—to destroy the supplies. Lachlan patted his pegasus before forming a Sagittae spell, firing it at Seepeekay. As soon as the magic left his hands, he leapt off his pegasus, backflipping in the air as he landed on the ground to meet his match. Spinning his axe, he went for a follow-up attack as the magic pellets of his spell slammed into Seepeekay's heavy armor, wearing away at the iron. Seepeekay stumbled backwards slightly, eyes widening as Lachlan's blade narrowly missed his face by inches. As a quick riposte, he twirled his lance and thrust it forward, Lachlan's shield barely blocking the blow.

"Why aren’t you flying?" Lachlan asked, firing another Sagittae spell—which this time, Seepeekay anticipated. He waved his hand, and a shield materialized momentarily in the air, deflecting the spell right back at his childhood friend. Lachlan ducked and rolled, whistling for his pegasus that had disappeared in the smoke.

"I took after you," Seepeekay murmured, flicking his wings slightly as the armor clinked against each other. "Strength was always your passion. Funny enough, we've switched."

As Lachlan climbed back onto his pegasus, he realized with a sinking heart that Seepeekay was right. Instead of becoming the heavy-hitter that he had aspired to be, he had become swift and agile instead—quick to attention and fast to react. Seepeekay was much more unorthodox in comparison to many other fairies; he had become a heavy-armor fighter instead, slow but powerful and effective in dealing damage. Rising upwards, he readied a Seraphim spell as more memories flashed in his mind. "Come on, fight me in the air. I want to see you fly."

_"Mom? Where's Seepeekay? I haven't seen him all day," Lachlan begged, tugging at the hem of his mother's dress._

_"I haven't seen him at all, honey," his mother replied. "Maybe ask one of the other villagers?"_

_"Okay..." Lachlan dejectedly walked out of the garden, pushing past the oak fence as he headed towards the nearest farmer. "Hey mister! Have you seen my friend?"_

_"The one with the blond spiky hair? No, I'm afraid I haven’t," the farmer replied humbly. "How about you ask your friend's parents?"_

_"Oh, you're right! Thank you!" Lachlan bowed hastily as he rushed over to where he knew Seepeekay lived. Knocking on the door raptly, he waited before the door swung open. Seepeekay's stepmother, an old woman in her sixties, softened her expression at the sudden interruption as she peered down at the child. "Lachlan, was it?"_

_"Yes ma'am...sorry to interrupt, but where's Seepeekay?" he asked._

_The woman tensed for a moment, pondering on what to say. After a couple of seconds, her expression became sorrowful, and she patted his head with a bittersweet smile. "Seepeekay left, that's all."_

_"Then I want to follow him," Lachlan declared, and the woman laughed, shaking her head as if to say_ this poor sweet child.

_"He's long gone, Lachlan. No can do. Now why don't you go and watch the older children fight? You'll be joining them soon; after all, your birthday is coming up. I'll see you later!" In a slightly-hurried state, she closed the door on Lachlan before he could speak up again._

_"B-But...I only watch with him..." Lachlan trailed off._

Seepeekay took to the sky, albeit a bit more slowly thanks to the armor weighing him down. Quickly trails of light were coming down on him as hell continued on around their dance, and Seepeekay barely managed to block them all from hitting him all at once. "I'm here now."

"Good." Lachlan swerved around him in circles, a faint smile playing on his face. "I'm proud of you, you know."

"Father Sky, can we not be so somber? This is seriously depressing me," Seepeekay implored, waving his hands around. "I hate fighting this! I hate having to—" He paused, choking on his own voice as tears welled up in his eyes. "I hate having to fight you like this, right only after we reunited!"

"Me too, Seepeekay...me too." Lachlan conjured up a Fire spell, balancing it in his left hand dangerously. He bit back down a sob, refusing to cry. "This isn't the time to mourn over the circumstances. Right now, we can only focus on the present."

"You say that so easily! How could you!?" Seepeekay yelled out in a sudden outburst, unable to control his emotions. "Don't you know how hard this is for me!? To see the only remnant of my life in the village, ready to kill me if necessary for the sake of his country!? Did you ever think that all knights were destined to think that way? That this is normal, for them to be killing their friends, their _memories_ —" He stopped, salty tears flowing down his cheeks and dripping onto his bloody armor.

"Seepeekay...it hurts for me too. But if you don't want me to hurt you, you have to fight as if this will be your last stand. You have to come at me, with everything that you've got. Go down the path that was carved out for you. Even if it lies across my grave." Lachlan murmured sadly, the Fire spell dissipating in his hand.

"I can't...I'm trying, but I can't! I'm too cowardly...too unwilling and too loyal to you," Seepeekay cried out.

"You have to! Please...do it for me. As your friend," Lachlan pleaded.

Seepeekay hesitated, and at that moment Lachlan's pegasus suddenly veered off to the right, a loud whinny echoing throughout the base. In surprise, Lachlan glanced over to his left, finding an arrow embedded through his saddle—barely missing his leg. He brought the pegasus down to the ground, creating a Thunder spell and striking at the one archer that had interrupted their fight. The fairy dodged, taking to the sky and heading towards a shell-shocked Seepeekay.

"Sir! We're pushing them back! The elves are now past the stone walls; the only one left remaining here is the general! We're ready to strike back at your command," the fairy gasped out only seconds before they was impaled by a Thoron spell, collapsing to the ground as their wings twitched from the electricity, dying as soon as Lachlan's axe found a place in the base of their skull. Seepeekay backed up a bit, flinching as more blood splattered onto his armor. He landed back on the ground, horror in his eyes.

"Crap," Lachlan muttered as he quickly cast a Heal spell on the arrow wound, taking back to the skies as he surveyed the damage on the base. Unfortunately, most supplies hadn't been touched at all—it was almost as if the fairies had been expecting them from the very beginning. Only a couple storehouses were in flames, but otherwise everything seemed intact or salvageable. The whole mission had been a bad idea (in his opinion) from the start, but seeing it fail in action was depressing. He was desperate to go and set fire to a couple more, but if the fairy hadn't been lying, he was surrounded, and would most likely not make it out if he tried. Besides, he needed to preserve his forces—Vikk was already low on numbers, and he couldn't bother to spare any more. All his options boiled down to only one choice.

"Don't feel sorry," Lachlan quickly addressed Seepeekay, biting his lip to keep himself from rushing over and hugging his friend. "You're strong. I believe in you."

Seepeekay whirled towards him, eyes wide in realization. "No! Don't go, Lachlan...Please don't go!"

"Retreat!" Lachlan yelled at the top of his lungs. "We need to get out of here now!" He then turned to Seepeekay, heart shattering into a million pieces at his friend's torn expression.

"Don't be sad, Seepeekay. Besides...this most likely won't be the last time we meet." Lachlan glanced away, wracked with guilt, before rearing his pegasus and taking to the skies, closing his eyes as he tried to burn the image of Seepeekay's heartbroken expression in his mind. Rising about the clouds, he saw his battalion join him—presumably much smaller than before—and he immediately dove back towards the forest, the smoke of the fires from below keeping him from being seen from fairies. As he flew through the night, he analyzed the outcomes of the battle that had just occurred: both sides losing a number of troops, though his much more important. The supplies had been somewhat destroyed, but not enough to slow the process of the fortification of Miraga Valley—a huge blow to their defenses. On top of that, his childhood friend, the one he had been searching for the majority of his life, was a fairy leading the Keldavegr forces against him as a general. He didn't know what to feel—relief? Horror? Sorrow? It was as if all his emotions had been suppressed long ago, and he could only focus on the present for the sake of saving the future.

As he dove down past the stone walls and towards the cover of the forests, he could see the groups that he had sent out haphazardly come back to him, desperate to flee and trying to survive as the fairies went after them, determined to strike them all down.

Soon, the fairies gave up on their chase as Lachlan managed to fend some off, using a plethora of spells to take them down or at least disable them from following. As he returned to where the catapults were, he was relieved to see Groups C and D were still alive and manning more artillery. "Let's get out of here," he hissed to them. "We need to get back to Hyllifold as soon as possible, and tell Preston that this was a bad idea. This is very, very bad."

"Roger that," the captains of the two groups chorused. "Should we abandon the catapults as well?"

"Do it! Better your lives than those weapons." Lachlan took to the sky again. "Let's go!"

_______

"Sir?" The fairy waved his hand in front of Seepeekay's face. "Are you alright?"

Seepeekay stared out at the chaos, staring at nothing with a horrified expression permanently etched onto his face, his hand going slack with his lance clattering to the ground. It was as if he couldn't see anything around him.

"Sir? Sir Seepeekay?" The fairy spoke again, and something snapped in the general.

"AAAAUGHHHHHHHHHH!" Seepeekay screamed, dropping to his knees before collapsing on the ground, hugging himself in a lackluster attempt to try and convince himself that this wasn't the reality, that this was all some sort of crazy dream. "No...No, I can't do this!"

"Sir! Are you alright!?" The fairy stumbled back in surprise at the sudden reaction.

"No! No...I can't go on like this! How will I be able to!?" Seepeekay buried his face into his hands, crying. "Lachlan...Father Sky damnit..."

_"You've been lying to us, haven't you!?" His stepmother's angry hushed tone was barely contained as she clenched her fists. "You little...how could you!? We believed you for so long...that you were an elf!"_

_"Mom, please...I didn't know this! I thought I was an elf too!" Seepeekay gaped at the mirror and the small orange wings protruding from his back in a curved semicircular shape. He had been itching in that spot for a couple of weeks now, but he had dismissed it solely as a rash. Now, he knew why--he had been preparing to grow wings. From what he had been forced to study in the small school nearby, fairies often grew their wings quickly as early as 2 to 3 years old--but he was already 7, and yet he had only just started growing his wings now. He didn't want to believe it was true, but the evidence was already in front of his eyes: the fairies, a species that he was trained to never trust and were hated amongst elves, was what he was. He was never an elf. He had always been a fairy from the very beginning._

_"Even if you were telling the truth...you can't live here anymore. The longer you stay, the more obvious your wings will be, and it will be impossible to hide them anyway. You need to leave." His stepmother's eyes, once so loving and kind, were gazing hard at him as he was on the verge of tears._

_"What!? C-Can't I say goodbye first?" Seepeekay teared up, not wanting to accept his new fate._

_"No. As your stepmother, the least I can do is assure you leave this village safely and quietly. No interacting with anyone." His stepmother began to prepare a backpack, stuffing in foods and other necessary items._

_"Lachlan?" Seepeekay begged. "At least him--"_

_"No."_

"Are you alright?" The fairy's voice broke through his terrible reverie, snapping him out of his breakdown. Seepeekay slowly rose, eyes red-rimmed as he took a deep breath. He wanted to bury himself into a hole and cry for eternity, but he couldn't. He had to keep up a facade for the sake of his army.

"Assess--" His voice croaked, and he cleared this throat. "Assess the damage. Check the supplies and look for stragglers. After that, come back with your reports."

"Got it sir!" The fairy bowed before rushing off. Seepeekay watched him go, lip trembling as he stared at the direction that Lachlan had ran away from.

"Fate turns against us..."

_______

"No, no, no!" Vikk gasped for breath as he ran up the stairs to the council room, whirling around as he desperately searched for the one face he had been looking for all morning. He was late to the war council meeting, but he was certain it hadn't started yet, and for good reason too.

Slamming open the doors, he surveyed the room. In their usual seats were Bajan and Pete, both whirling towards Vikk in surprise. Ph1lza, in his new seat next to his, seemed slightly bothered, tapping his finger on the table anxiously. Lachlan, for obvious reasons, was nowhere to be seen. Woofless was pacing back and forth. The whole room brimmed with tension.

"You haven't seen him either, have you?" Pete asked, worried.

"No...I searched everywhere!" Vikk shook his head. "Oh no...this can't be happening."

"There really is no doubting it, huh..." Ph1lza sighed. "As much as I'm not really rooting for Hyllifold, this is pretty bad."

"As his friend and retainer...I'll be taking up his position...if that's alright." Woofless glanced at everyone, waiting for objections, but there were none--not even from Ph1lza. Nodding grimly, he said the words everyone refused to believe, confirming it.

"Preston's missing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun DUN.
> 
> kudos and comments are appreciated as always!


	17. Foreign Lands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Muffinteers arrive at Lofnheim after another week. Woofless, now in charge of Hyllifold, plans a mission to get Preston back. Wilbur decides to start taking drastic measures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3600 HITS WHAT THE HELL WHEN DID WE JUMP TO DOUBLE THE NUMBER? AM I JUST DREAMING OR SMTHG? YAYSHFJDJSJSN THANK YOUYUUU ALL. IDK IF THESE ARE GETTING ANNOYING BUT IM SO GLAD THIS BLEW UP SO MUCH
> 
> song inspo: fe sov: vestiges

"We're close! I see it!" Bad pointed out from the stern, eyes glimmering with excitement. "Over there! That's the desert lands of Lofnheim! We finally made it!"

"Finally! I was getting sick of seeing nothing but blue water in all directions," Sapnap grumbled in relief, a grin spreading onto his face. "George, Dream, row us that way?"

"We've been rowing for the past what, five hours!? Do we _have_ to?" Dream pleaded, arms sore from rowing nonstop. "Can't we take a break?"

"Not when we're this close! Come on!" Sapnap began to prepare the ropes, ready to latch onto the small dock that jutted out from the side of the sandy banks. "Do you see anyone?"

"No, but Lofnheim is pretty small, so there's bound to be someone nearby that can help us," Bad replied, squinting as he scanned the horizon. "We finally made it! And surprisingly it seems like nothing has been happening either for the past week...we're lucky."

"Too bad this war isn't going to end anytime soon," George murmured. "Wars tend to last a very long time. Knowing both Keldavegr and Hyllifold, it's likely that this struggle might just be locked in an eternal stalemate until both species are wiped out or one just gets overpowered by the other."

"We can still avoid it," Dream insisted, grunting as he continued using the last of his strength to row the boat. "It's not our fight anyways. We're not associated with either side."

"But you said—" George faltered as he remembered their conversation a week ago, and he went back to focusing on rowing. "Nevermind."

"I got it!" Sapnap threw the newly-made lasso as best as he could, latching onto the wooden post protruding from the water. Both he and Bad tugged at the rope, drawing them closer to the dock and alleviating Dream from having to overexert himself. The boat groaned as it washed up onto the shore of the sandy desert banks, tilting upward suddenly. The sudden jolt nearly caused Dream to tumble from where he was sitting, and he gripped the side of the boat for balance. Meanwhile, George was completely unfazed, dropping the oar he had been holding and getting up to stretch, his wings opening wide as the sunlight shone through the translucent flesh.

"I envy your balance," Sapnap confessed as he opened the trapdoor to head below deck, ready to gather his supplies. "Are all fairies normally like that?"

"Graceful, you mean? I guess...I never really thought about it." George followed him below. "Hey Dream, do you want me to get your stuff?"

"Er...can Sapnap get my stuff?" Dream hesitated, unsure if he wanted to trust the fairy with his belongings or not.

"Oh. Yeah, sure." George's face fell for a moment, before brightening back up as if nothing was wrong. Meanwhile, Bad was already on the shore, running around and kicking up the sand with his feet. "Yes! Finally! Land!"

"Good to see you're excited. Aren't you going to get hot though? Lofnheim's known for having a very hot climate, and you're from Fimbulwinter, one of the coldest places—if not the coldest—in Osiadira. You're still wearing your fur-lined cape and everything." Dream frowned. "I mean, I can just roll up my pants and I'm already wearing short sleeves; Sapnap doesn't even have sleeves and George can just take off his inner shirt."

"Well, if we're going to be in Lofnheim for a while, we'll have to disguise ourselves. Can't let them know you're the elves that have been presumed missing for eons. I know it's all elves here, but they see you two alive, they're probably going to try and send you over to Wilbur. They're still under control by Keldavegr. With that in mind, we should head for the nearest market and get some new clothes! Just to blend in better. And don't worry...I've handled much worse heat." At the last sentence, Bad seemed to deflate with sorrow before shaking it off. "Don't worry about me."

"If you say so," Dream murmured as Sapnap came back up from the lower deck, handing over Dream's large pack. He hoisted it over his shoulder in a cross-body format, carefully weaving it around where Sinmara and his quiver were strapped to his back. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. We good to go?" Sapnap glanced around at their boat, scanning one last time for anything that they could've possibly forgotten. "Make sure you didn't forget anything."

"Sapnap, you're such a mom," Bad teased, and Sapnap held himself back from playfully punching his friend. Dream sighed, a faint smile playing on his lips before he answered Sapnap's question. "Nah, I don't think we forgot anything. Though are we just gonna leave the boat here?"

"I mean, its not like we can haul it around with us. We should probably just leave it here. If we're lucky, no one will take it, and we could always come back and make a quick getaway," George suggested.

"Isn't it better to just hide it, then?" Bad asked.

"What are we gonna do, bury it in a dune? There's nowhere to hide it. We just have to pray it stays here," Sapnap pointed out, laughing. "Come on, let's go."

"Where are we even going?" Dream stepped off the boat carefully, his feet sinking into the sand immediately. Almost right away he was reminded of his seaside town, and nostalgia overwhelmed him. "Father Sky, there's so much _sand_. Good thing my boots are knee-high."

"Can't say the same," George grumbled as his sandals immediately kicked up some particles, causing them to catch onto his feet and ankles. "I would fly the entire way, but that would be a waste of energy."

"I think we're going inland," Bad noted. "I don't see anything in the vicinity, but if I'm right, we're in the north. So let's just head south. Sapnap, you have a compass with you, right?"

"Yeah," the elf muttered as he fished through his backpack, pulling out the small device. "It's pretty old, but it should work well. Compasses are so rarely nowadays, especially when it's hard to create magnets with magic. We just have to go in the opposite direction of the needle." Inside, the small red needle whirled towards the sea behind them, indicating north.

"Let's go!" Bad cheered, and Dream sighed, following the excited human as the group made their way inland.

_______

"Even at night, it's so hot," Dream grumbled, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He squinted in the darkness as the light of the full moon was their only guidance towards finding any sort of man-made light. "Everything just looks the same! It's all sand and whatever those spiky plants were."

"They're called cacti, I think. Good for human medicine and also juice/water, since water is such a rarity in the desert," Bad informed as he rolled up his sleeves. "They don't need a lot of water to survive, so they're alright with the little rain that comes for deserts."

"Did you use to live in a desert?" Sapnap asked, curiously picking up some of the sand and letting it trail from his fingers in awe.

"Er...not really. I used to live in a city...you guys wouldn't understand it since the technology is way more advanced in comparison to here, but it's basically like a bunch of villages clumped together. Nearby my city was a desert, where people could go exploring for fun." Bad's tone of voice became incredibly somber, but the mood was quickly lifted with an excited shout from George. "Guys, look! I see torches!"

Sure enough, in the distance on another sand dune, two torches seemed to be alight, encasing the area around them in a warm glow. The figures holding them were heading toward their direction at a fast pace. Dream, wary as ever, drew Sinmara, conjuring up its bowstring. Sapnap, catching his drift, drew his sword.

"Wait, why are you guys drawing weapons?" Bad frowned, waving them off. "It's not like they're going to recognize us!"

"Can never be too wary—we already look out of place," Dream muttered. A magic arrow materialized into his grip, and he began to pull back on the drawstring. He would have kept going had George not grasped his arm suddenly, keeping him from drawing it back more. Dream turned to George with a glare. "What are you doing!?"

"Not yet," George insisted. "Maybe they can help guide us."

"I don't think I've seen you guys around here before," a new voice mused, and George and Dream both whirled from each other to the source of the new voice. All four of them had been so caught up in arguing with each other that they hadn't even realized that the torch-holders had already arrived towards the sand dune they were on. Dream lowered his bow, eyeing the newcomers to see if he could recognize them well at all.

The first elf in the front had blond hair tied back in a short ponytail, eyes the color of amethysts and around Dream's height. He had on a lightweight tank top with translucent white short sleeves, gold banding wrapped around his torso along with tassels hanging off the sides of his shirt. He had on baggy pants, bound to his ankles with gold bands, and spiked bracelets adorning his arms. On his finger was a ring with a green emerald embedded into the middle, glimmering in the moonlight. The second elf by his side was slightly taller, with pale platinum hair that was nearly white and bright blue eyes. He had on a loose chiton also with translucent sleeves, draping down much longer to his wrists with spiky bands as well. Under his chiton were shorts that barely poked out from underneath, and anklets adorned his lower legs. Both were comfortably barefoot in the sand, holding torches and staring at them.

"Uh—um—er—" Bad stuttered, unsure of what to say. "Hi?"

"Hey," the first elf drawled, an easygoing smile on his face. "Did you guys come from Osiadira?"

"Yeah," Sapnap confirmed. "We're just trying to get away from the war."

"Understandable...so are we." The second elf frowned. "Wait. Elves and fairies both traveling together? And...a _nightmare_ fairy, to be exact." His eyes widened, darting over to George. "You have an eye-of-ender as well! Doesn't that mean..."

"Oh, I almost forgot about that. Yeah, I'm a runaway criminal. In dire times like these, we made a truce," George quickly filled in, a flash of panic in his eyes for one quick second. "We're just looking for some shelter and rest."

"Oh, we can help you with that," the first elf smiled before his face fell. "At the same time, we don't have a lot of room though...but we can try. I'll take you to the nearest village."

"Thank you so much." Bad thanked them quickly, and Dream let the magic arrow and bowstring fizz out as he sheathed his weapon, hanging in the back as Bad kept up with the elves and began talking with them animatedly. Sapnap, Dream, and George hung in the back, all three much more skeptical in comparison.

"Is this a good idea?" Sapnap whispered. "Because right now, I don't think it is."

"They recognized my species right off the bat. Wouldn't be surprised if they recognized me as George, too," George hissed, instinctively reaching for his trident.

"At least they know you're not with Keldavegr. They seemed pretty worried to see that you were a fairy in general," Dream replied just as the first elf exclaimed "YOU'RE A HUMAN!?" in the background to Bad. Dream drowned him out in his mind, continuing to speak with his brother and George.

"That's true...wonder if Keldavegr will end up chasing after Purpled," George pondered.

"Did you say something about me?" The first elf turned around, and George looked up, confused.

"No, I was talking about Purpled...the leader of Lofnheim," George countered. 

"Well...you're talking about the man in the flesh," the elf grinned. "Surprised you guys didn't notice, but I'm the leader himself--Purpled, of course. And next to me is TommyInnit, or Tommy for short."

"WHAT!?" Sapnap's jaw dropped in shock. " _You guys_ are the ones in charge?"

"The ring on my finger is a heirloom, worn by all the rulers of Lofnheim," Purpled explained. "Yes, I am the one in charge."

"I wasn't too sure of it before, but looking at you guys now, it all kind of clicks. You're George, aren't you?" Tommy asked, and George flinched. "I have nothing against nightmare fairies to be honest, but I'm surprised you even came here. Coming here wasn't the best idea...King Wilbur is already trying to get us to fully support him in the war, and you're one of the side targets of his."

"I know," George mumbled, sighing.

"You're...you're General Sapnap, aren't you? Everyone's presumed you missing and dead, but you've been alive this entire time...And you're Dream, right? You're recorded in Keldavegrian history, so I kind of recognize you. Was not expecting either of you to be alive, but here we are I guess," Purpled asserted. "And Bad is the human from Fimbulwinter."

"I..." Dream narrowed his eyes, now understanding why he had to be more careful. It wasn't obvious, but both Purpled and Tommy had been very perceptive, and he had to be careful not to expose too much information.

"It's okay, you don't need to respond. I left you speechless, didn't I?" Purpled laughed. "Well, it's good you're all here now. Because I wanted to have a chat with you guys. Privately."

_______

Woofless closed the council room doors, ensuring the two guards left in the castle were protecting the doorways, and he closed all the window curtains, bathing the room in near-complete darkness had it not been for the lanterns lining the walls. He sat down in Preston's seat at the head of the table, eyeing each member of the war council.

Vikk seemed to be recovering well, no longer confined to a bed as he sat in the chair, arm still wrapped in bandages. He absent-mindedly rubbed the injured area, face expression unreadable. Pete had just woken up from a nap, adjusting his mask and checking the string on his crossbow meticulously. The assassin seemed alright with the fact that he was in a sudden high position, despite only being a mercenary about a month ago.

Bajan didn't seem to be faring as well, dark circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep. A fresh stave was in his hands, the previous one having shattered the night before from overuse. Despite his tiredness, he managed to hold himself up and awake, fidgeting nervously.

Lachlan was downright crying, eyes puffy and red-rimmed from full-on weeping half an hour ago. He had managed to regain his composure, but only for a slight moment, before crying again--the war was taking a serious toll on him, and one bad thing had just led into a domino effect of more bad things happening to Hyllifold. Woofless was scared to ask him what had went down at Miraga that had caused him to lose half his forces and be so mentally distraught, but he knew he had to find out the horrors for himself.

Ph1lza watched Lachlan from where he sat, distant from the general and lost in his own thoughts. Though the fairy seemed reluctant to join in on their meetings, he knew he was an essential pawn in their plans, and he had no choice but to attend anyway. He seemed mildly interested in what had went down at Miraga, but at the moment was unbothered.

"Lachlan...what happened?" Woofless started off softly, breaking the silence in the room.

Lachlan shuddered as all eyes turned to him, and he wiped his tears, swallowing down another sob before speaking. "Everything was going well at first. We sent scouts up ahead to check Miraga Valley and began to plan some entry points to destroy their supplies. We began our strike at night, and I split the army into separate groups to infiltrate the fortress. But we...we miscalculated the timing of attack, and the fairies were ready to meet us. It became a bloody battle."

"There's more, isn't there?" Pete interrupted, watching Lachlan. "So far, I'm seeing this as a typical mission merely gone wrong. I get crying, sure, but not this excessively. So what happened?"

"The general...Vikk, I told you about him before. The general was Seepeekay...my long-lost childhood friend." Lachlan's voice cracked and he let out the choked sob he had been holding back.

Silence filled the room once more as Vikk's eyes widened, evidently recognizing the name. Woofless racked his brain, attempting to find a moment where Lachlan had mentioned the name, but nothing came to mind. Pete whistled sympathetically, wincing, and Bajan audibly gasped in surprise. Ph1lza furrowed his eyebrows, confused. "Wait...but he was a fairy?"

"He told me he was a late bloomer during the battle," Lachlan murmured. "I had no idea he was a fairy at all--he was supposedly kicked out from our village when his adopted family found out the truth about him. I thought he had just disappeared entirely."

"Your first reunion in so long, and it's during a battle, with you two leading the opposite sides...Father Dan." Ph1lza patted his shoulder, a comforting frown on his face. "I'm sorry, Lachlan. No one deserves to go throught that."

"In the end, not many supplies were demolished. It's not enough to hinder the growth of the fortress. We're too late; the best we can do is focus on something else," Lachlan finished dejectedly.

"Alright, that's fine. Right now, our main priority is getting the king back from gods-who-know-where." Woofless rolled out a new map, placing different chess pieces representing different parties in the war. "Right now, Miraga Valley is occupied by Keldavegr--that's a knockout. And with Lachlan's battle, we can confirm Seepeekay is one of their generals as well as the main force there." He placed a rook and a knight on the map where the location was. "Lofnheim's confirmed to be unable to help us, but at the same time unwilling to help Keldavegr...let's call it a stalemate." He placed a pawn there, frowning. "It just seems like this war is locked in a stalemate."

"A stalemate that's leaning in their favor," Vikk pointed out. "Not a lot of pointers for where Preston could possibly be."

"True...but we have to think logically. If someone were to kidnap Preston, where would they take him? Why would they do it?" Woofless brought the questions up to the table, leaving everyone in a pondering quiet.

"Well, it's not like any elf wants to try and kidnap their own king, it's pointless. So it probably wasn't anyone in Hyllifold," Bajan suggested.

"Okay, we can cross out the elves in general as possible suspects. It's likely that Keldavegr did it for the advantage," Pete pointed out. "At the same time, though...if they kidnapped Preston, wouldn't that technically be a game over for us? Since the major force in power is gone..."

"I mean, we still exist and we're still fighting for Preston's sake." Ph1lza countered. "I would probably agree with one of the Keldavegrian nobles, to be honest. A good chunk of them are corrupt, so I wouldn't be surprised if one did so just for greed."

"Does Preston even look like a king at night? Minus his armor and tunic, when he switches to his night clothing it's different, isn't it?" Vikk asked.

"It is...maybe the people that kidnapped him didn't even know it was the king. You'd be surprised at how unrecognizable Preston can become without his usual attire," Woofless noted.

"I think I have a good idea of where he could be," Ph1lza suggested, and everyone turned toward him in hopefulness. "Preston's a huge deal in this war, isn't he? So maybe some fairies were sent out to get him. Now where would be a good place to hide the king and also be safe? Miraga Valley or the castle. Since Miraga Valley just got attacked, its plausible that Preston could have been there, but it got too dangerous, and they moved him to the castle."

"That's...actually pretty reasonable. But how would we be able to get in there and save him? We don't even know how big the castle is nor the directions inside," Bajan murmured. "And who would even be able to get that deep into Keldavegr?"

"I can," Ph1lza suggested, and everyone turned toward him in surprise. "What!? I know I'm the least trustworthy person here, but it's not like I have a choice anyway. No point in going back to my temple now that there's a war that affects me directly. I used to work in the church, so I would visit the castle. I know the inner parts, though not fully I suppose. And my magic is strong enough to cast one big teleportation spell inside."

"I'll go with you," Pete volunteered, much to Ph1lza's chagrin. "I know you're still mad at me for stabbing your neck with a dart, but I'm an assassin. I'm the best for a sneak mission."

"Are you sure about this?" Lachlan finally spoke up, having regained his composition slightly. "It's a pretty dangerous wager."

"I'm sure." Ph1lza glanced at Woofless, who was staring at the map and weighing his options. After a moment, the retainer nodded grimly.

"Alright...since this is an urgent mission, try to have it done before the next month rolls around." Woofless counted the days off with his finger. "That's almost a week, so you should be fine. Let's do this...and get our king back."

_______

"They still refuse to cooperate?" Wilbur frowned, eyeing the map laid out in the cold council room.

"As far as I know, that's about right," CaptainSparklez replied. "Purpled isn't giving us any supplies nor men."

"Ridiculous. Have they forgotten what Lofnheim is?" Wilbur's fists clenched tightly, shaking a bit from anger. "It seems like we have not been forceful enough. Our defense at Miraga Valley went well, according to the report from Seepeekay. It's about time we make sure Hyllifold can't capture anything else, either."

"What's that supposed to mean?" CaptainSparklez asked.

"Simple. Tell the army to start readying the missiles," Wilbur commanded. "Get at least five of them ready. I never thought we'd have to use such warfare, but it seems like they gave me no choice."

"Oh. _Oh._ " CaptainSparklez swallowed nervously before bowing. "I'll do it right now...but where are we aiming them?"

"Lofnheim, obviously." Wilbur narrowed his eyes, a slight smile tugging at the edge of his lip. "If they will not cooperate...then I'll make sure no one can make use of any of them. _Ever._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finished writing this at 3am the grind is real
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	18. Sea Winds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade and TapL continue to run into more and more trouble. Dream changes his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3800 HITS OMGGGGG WERE SO CLOSE TO MY OLD TOP HIT COUNT THANK YOU GUYS FOR REASINF THIS FJSKSNDKSOSMDJRRCBCN
> 
> this chapter is filler and short unfortunately so im sorry about that, had some burnout but WE'LL BE GETTING TO MORE GOOD STUFF!
> 
> song inspo: fe3h: spiderwebs, fe3h - respite and sunlight

"You saw it last night too, right?" Techno murmured, nearly biting his tongue off as he chowed down a baked potato. His eyes scanned the sunny horizon as he scratched his arm, itchy from the grass of the plains they had stopped to take a break on. "The smoke in the distance...it was so far off I almost didn't catch it, but I'm certain something went down over there."

"Yeah...must've been some sort of fire. If we were able to see it from here, it must've been pretty big." TapL rubbed his eyes, tired from all the running. "Do you think that it was Keldavegr?"

"Mmm...maybe. Wouldn't be surprised if it was Keldavegr on the receiving end. It does seem close to our border." Techno continued to finish his potato in silence, his shoulders heavy with the weight of pressure. "Wonder if Wilbur's still looking for me...doubt he even has the time though."

"Do you want to go back? Wilbur might need your help in the war," TapL questioned.

"Nah...I'm just hoping the sickness didn't start getting to his head already—though I think it's already going to be a lost cause." Techno threw the remains of his potato on the ground, frustrated. "Goddamnit! If I had only been sooner..."

"What do you mean?" TapL hesitantly reached out, and Techno waved him off, fuming.

"Wilbur might be making all these mistakes without someone around his level to educate him. I just feel like as his family, I need to help him put him in his place." Techno pulled out another baked potato, begrudgingly sitting down to eat it as his wings twitched, irritated from the grass.

"It's not your fault that this sickness is running through his bloodline," TapL murmured.

"Yeah, but still! I'm his family...I just feel obligated, you know." Techno tore at the potato skin, fuming as he continued to eat. "Maybe with the power of the Ender Dragon, I could do it..."

"But you said you would have to sacrifice your mind to gain control of her. Wouldn't all your efforts then end up being in vain?" TapL paced around the plain, the sun beating down on his skin as they neared a hotter climate. "You need your rationality to change everything—we don't want you going insane."

"I feel like I'm already going delusional, and I'm not even the one with the sickness," Techno complained. "Come on, we have to keep moving."

"Already? I feel like we're far away from Seepeekay though. Come to think of it, the smoke was coming from the direction of where Miraga Valley was located..." TapL's eyes widened in realization as it dawned on him. "They must've already fought!"

"That means we have to keep moving...there's always the chance that the Hyllifoldian forces were attacking, and they may be making their way back right now. I don’t wanna get caught up with that—I'm strong, but I'm not a one-man army." Techno stood up again, nearly doubling over from a sudden cramp, but he ignored the feeling. "Let's go!"

"Right," TapL agreed as he began putting their supplies away, heaving his sack over his back. They continued to go the direction they had been heading toward, south toward the Cliffs of Norregard. "So will you break the end crystal soon or not?"

"I mean, it's a dangerous bet. If I reject her, who knows? She could kill me...she's powerful beyond my comprehension. She probably can hear us right now...if she even cares about me anyway." Techno grumbled. "Anyways, besides that—we need to find a way to get your wings back."

"Techno—I already told you, I don't need them," TapL protested. "It's not worth risking the time. I already told you that it's just gonna weigh you down especially since I don't know how to fly anyway."

"I'll teach you how to fly," Techno asserted.

"What—You can't just say that!" TapL shook his head, stopping in the midst of his sprint. "It's basically impossible to teach someone how to fly. Most fairies, they just know how to do it. It's part of their natural mind...but because of what happened to me, my muscle memory for flight is nonexistent. You'd have to baby me all over again for that."

"So what? I don't care. You're my friend. Actually...you're pretty much the only friend I have left." Techno's tone of voice became hurt, bitterness lacing his words. "Jschlatt left me, and neither of us even knew why. I abandoned Wilbur to lead this war alone, and I was never close with his generals anyway. And then there's Ph1lza..."

"Who's that?" TapL asked as they began to pick up the pace again.

"Ph1lza was one of my childhood friends. He was born to one of the church officials at the Church of Diamonds, so he was already set for life as a priest or a bishop, possibly. But he hated being confined to the church—not that he had anything against Father Dan of course, but he didn't want to be stuck in the church with—to quote—'the fancy tapestries and the overwhelming sense of divinity' or something." Techno chuckled as if recalling a fond memory before continuing on. "He used to sneak out all the time to hang out with me—this was before I was a prince—and we would just fly around and find all these weird objects that Ph1lza would pickpocket. He was always an explorer kind of guy, never liked being in one place.

"As he grew older, he tried going out on more dangerous sneak missions. Sometimes he would disappear for weeks at a time. I used to follow him, but then Wilbur's brother died, and then I got placed as prince...we kinda drifted apart afterwards. Then after that, something happened to him—I don't know what it was, but it must've been pretty bad because he stopped exploring for the rest of his life. He just changed completely. Took off his exploring hat, graduated from the church as a priest, and left to do his own thing...he created his own temple and just locked himself in there. It was super depressing to watch him turn from someone so bright and cheerful to someone who was always shrouded in a prison he created himself." Techno sighed. "He's alright now, I guess. Don't know what he's been up to, though he's probably still locked in his temple. I wonder if..."

"If what?" TapL pressed.

"I mean, I planned to leave the castle and kinda planned a week beforehand. One of those times I contacted Ph1lza and we agreed to keep an eye out for Dream and his friends. If they ever came to his temple, he would trap them and contact me as soon as he could so that I could come over and fetch them. But I always think three steps ahead, you know—Ph1lza's smart, but he doesn't always think about the future. Understandable of course." Techno brushed through the landscape as he ducked under a tree and entered the forest ahead. "Dream's smart. I mean, when you have two thousand years of doing nothing, you can only train your mind to keep you from going insane. I knew he would find a way out of Ph1lza's temple anyway. I don't know how to predict his next move, but even if Ph1lza had successfully trapped him it would be pointless to go there because by the time I would get there, Dream would be gone."

"Even with Sapnap, George, and Bad?" TapL questioned.

"I mean, Sapnap's ripped, so I wouldn't see why not. George's a nightmare fairy; his whole life was all about running away anyway. As for Bad, I have no idea, but humans are unpredictable. We're lucky Bad is a docile person," Techno muttered.

"Docile, but would still punch you in the face with his gauntlets." TapL shuddered. "His magic was so foreign."

"I mean, most of it is in his charms and staff. Don't really understand why he lugs around that thing anyway, if he could just punch people to death and get it over with." Techno slowed his sprint, relaxing into a walk. "I can't believe I'm tired out already."

"Won't you get cramps? You just ate a bunch of potatoes, after all." TapL glanced worriedly at him as he slowed down as well.

"I mean, I'm worried about you too. You didn't eat anything at all." Techno opened a canteen, drinking some water. "My head's throbbing."

"Sit down...we're safe here, aren't we?" TapL asked.

"We should be, but--" Techno was interrupted by a sudden knife embedding itself into the log next to him. "What the--"

"Rogues!" TapL screeched as he dove to one side, avoiding a sudden Cutting Gale spell that slammed into the tree that had been behind him only moments prior. "Come on!"

"Nightmare fairies! Those dastards," Techno yelled as he formed a Thunder spell, unsheathing his axe. "Don't run! Let's fighr them off."

"We don't know how many there are!" TapL screeched, though he pulled out his dagger anyway. "Father Dan please protect me."

"They're here!" Techno ducked as a Miasma spell zoomed over his head, rushing forward. "Don't back down!"

"Ugh, why me," TapL groaned as he followed the prince, creating a Wind spell. "Let's get this over with!"

_______

"What were you doing out there anyway?" Dream asked as he chowed down on a piece of bread, intrigued by the new food.

After meeting with Purpled and TommyInnit, they had been led to the nearest village and were lucky enough that there was still a villa left for them. After sleeping through the night, they were currently eating breakfast before continuing onto the trek back to the palace where Purpled lived. They had yet to "talk privately" but Dream wasn't too worried about that part.

"We often go out there to see if anyone from Keldavegr has come to force us into helping them. Can never be too careful, you know." Purpled drank some water from a clay cup, settling it down as soon as he saw that no one was around. "Which leads me to the thing I was planning to ask you guys about."

"Oh yeah, you said you wanted to talk to us privately. What was that all about?" Sapnap asked.

"For a long time, Lofnheim has been a vassal state to Keldavegr. Although it doesn't seem like it, we are essentially prisoners of the empire, and we have been under control for decades. I was determined that when I grew up I would be able to change all of that. Of course, the leaders before me thought the same thing, and they were unable to do anything. Either way, I had set my goal in stone. But then the epidemic came." Purpled paused to eat some more, and Tommy picked up the story for him.

"The epidemic was terrible--spores of strange kinds started infecting people's bodies. They came from these strange mushrooms that we found growing nearby villages--probably put there by some sort of myserious rogue or something--but either way, it was devastating and it spread so quickly thanks to their explosive nature. We managed to get rid of them, but it set a huge setback to our goals and dreams." Tommy refused to make eye contact as he maintained a steady tone.

"But during the epidemic, we created this...device. It could possibly cure everyone and stop the sickness from spreading. Not only that, it could be weaponized to help completely free us from Keldavegr's control. But no one has been able to activate it...no one at all." Purpled sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I did some research on it, and it seems like it can be activated by ancient power."

"Ancient...?" Sapnap frowned. "How old is ancient?"

"Not that old, but definitely old beyond any living being...and that's why I need your help." Purpled's expression became deadly serious as he leaned in. "Dream, Sapnap. You two are the only ones that can possibly turn the weapon on--2,000 years for both of you? With both of you guys combined, there's a chance we can turn this around for Lofnheim."

"What about us?" Bad piped up.

"Well, it's not like we're going to leave you in the dust. I wanna know what humans are like! One day I hope we can open our borders entirely and go explore. Maybe there's more humans out there," Purpled thought aloud. "And George...You're a good person, you know? Like I was incredibly skeptical especially after the epidemic, but I've been watching you and you seem different from many nightmare fairies I've ran into before."

"Oh, uh...thanks?" George smiled half-heartedly. "I honestly don't know if it's a good thing or not."

"Well, it's good for us," Tommy agreed. "Anyways, would you be willing to help us?"

"Oh, the weapon." Dream pondered on it for a moment, considering what his options were. "If we help you, wouldn't that mean you would use the weapon on Keldavegr and break away from them? What would you be then? Independent?"

"In a vague sense, for the war at least. We're planning to help our brethren in Hyllifold, of course. I don't know if you guys are trying to be in this war or not, but..." Purpled shrugged. "You don't have to join us in the war after, of course. Just to help awaken the weapon."

"Uhhhhh..." Dream sat there, and Sapnap glanced over at him worriedly. "What do you guys think?"

"I'm okay with it. We're all okay," George spoke up. "You're our leader Dream. We're listening to you."

"I'm your...leader?" The title felt foreign on his tongue, as if he had never experienced such a position before. He had always been in the shadow, hidden under the brilliant face of his brother's capability. Suddenly self-conscious, he carefully took off the diadem on his head, peering at the golden wings on the side. Come to think of it, he had been looking at it as well in an episode of self-doubt, right before George had appeared.

Could he be a leader? Was he up to the task?

"Dream?" Purpled's voice broke him out of his thoughts, and Dream snapped to attention.

"Right right. Sorry. Yeah, we'll do it," Dream insisted, making an impulse decision. "We'll do it. We'll awaken the weapon. And we'll join Hyllifold in the war."

"WHAT!?" Sapnap turned to him, surprised. "But I thought--Dream, are you absolutely sure?"

"We're a part of this, aren't we? This is our war as much as it is theirs. We need to join. It's inevitable." Dream forced every word out, gritting his teeth. "We're driving this, so we need to help."

"You were so adverse only last night..." Bad murmured. "If you say so, though. I'm here all the way!"

"Same here," Sapnap agreed, and George nodded.

"Wow...that's a quick decision. Then after this, we should leave to go get some new clothing for you guys. It's hot, so I'm guaranteed you'll all need something looser to wear," Tommy suggested.

"Oh yeah." Dream shuffled around his belt, pulling out the mask that he had. "I found this...is there a way to recreate this as a new mask of sorts? Or like the diadem on my head?"

"This? Yeah, we could totally make a recreation in no time. I'm sure we have some to spare." Purpled grinned. "Let's get to it!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah, i wasnt joking about the filler sorry
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated!!!


	19. Tensive Maneuver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Muffinteers get a makeover. Ph1lza and Pete prepare to take Preston back, infiltrating the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOAH 4100 HITS! IM SO GLAD YALL ARE HERE rEADING THIS LOL
> 
> more filler yikes...like a good chunk of filler. it was kinda hard to push through finishing this but im proud of it now! i almost didn’t get this out in time, haha!
> 
> song inspo: fe sov: where the wind rustles, fe sov: courage in numbers

"Woah." Dream carefully weaved in and out of the crowd, making sure not to bump into anyone. "There's...so many people!"

"This marketplace is quite popular," Purpled noted as he led the group through the different shops lining the sandy streets. "Despite the fact we just got out of an epidemic, people still have to work here to keep our economy stable. Now that a vast majority are no longer sick, people are pretty happy to get their businesses booming again."

"That's good," Sapnap noted as he spun around, taking in all the sights. "Does everyone normally wear thin clothing like you do?"

"With the hot climate, pretty much. Since it's always so hot here, everyone wears light clothing." Purpled turned into a small shop, providing some shade for his guests as a tarp shielded them from the midday sun. The storeowner glanced up from where she was standing, her flowy shirt rippling as she headed over. "Welcome!"

"Hello we're looking for—oh, don't feel obligated to refer to me as Overseer," Purpled interrupted himself as the storeowner's eyes widened in surprise. "We're just passing by."

"Oh—uh—hello! Nice to meet you all. I'm Sylvee." The woman bowed hastily, brushing her hair out of her face. "Are you all guests of the Overse—I mean, Purpled?"

"Uh, yeah. We're visiting." Dream glanced over back where the main crowd was, his interest piqued. Leaning over to Purpled, he whispered "Do they know about the war, or...?"

"Oh, they know. They're trying to salvage the economy before everything goes to hell." Purpled shrugged in response before turning back to Sylvee. "We're actually looking for some new clothing for these guys, since it's incredibly hot."

"Ah, okay...maybe we can work off your original clothing? If that's alright with you," Sylvee asked.

"Oh yeah, that would actually be perfect," George rambled. He then stopped, glancing back at Dream, Sapnap, and Bad. "That is, I'm alright with it at least."

"Mmmm...I'm good with a complete makeover. These clothes are getting worn anyways," Bad noted, tugging at his shirt. "Though I do like red."

"Uhhhhh...yeah, do the same for me. Though I need to be able to wear armor." Sapnap tapped his diamond chestplate, subconsciously adjusting his pauldrons.

"I'll take both--uh, can I take both?" Dream glanced at Purpled and TommyInnit. 

"Yeah, it's on us." Tommy grinned.

"Fantastic! Right this way then, take a look around and see if there's anything you like. George and Dream, both of you have to come with me," Sylvee instructed.

"We'll meet back at the entrance?" Sapnap clarified.

"Yeah, don't worry," Dream assured. "We'll be fine."

"Have fun," Bad waved as Dream followed Sylvee and George towards the back of the large tent/area, brushing past wooden racks with clothing and heading towards the back where they were safely away from the crowd. In the back was a small cubicle, tall enough to just fit them, with no roof and the sides being thick curtains. Sylvee pushed back one, revealing a floating mirror inside.

"What is this?" Dream frowned.

"It's a portable changing room--I guess you could call it a closet of sorts. One of you need to go in and face the mirror. Only for a short bit though, and then walk out. I enchanted the mirror so that I can get everyone's measurements." Sylvee smiled. "Who's first?"

"I'll go," George volunteered, stepping into the room albeit with a bit of difficulty thanks to his wings. After a moment, he stepped out, and Dream did the same. Sylvee took the mirror out, glancing at the two of them quickly. "You guys just want variants of your outfits, yes?"

"Sounds about right," Dream confirmed.

"Alright, I'll be back in a moment. Maybe check on your friends while you're at it," Sylvee suggested as she gave them a tiny wave before dashing back inside the tarp. George watched her go, before glancing back at Dream. "You ready to go back?"

"Yeah," Dream replied as they stepped back inside, weaving through the sudden increase of customers as they attempted to find Bad and Sapnap. Similar to Tommy, many commoners seemed to wear a chiton or toga of sorts, with loose scarves and bracelets clasping their wrists and ankles. Many were barefoot, sand sinking into their toes. He couldn't blame them—already, the heat was getting to him, and he unclasped his canteen, gulping down some water.

"Don't drink too much," Purpled warned cheerfully, causing Dream to nearly choke from the surprise. "We don't have a lot of water here—nearest oasis is a good ten hours away."

"You scared me," Dream mumbled as he closed his canteen—if there was one thing about Purpled that he could immediately deduct from his behavior, it was that the elf was like a phantom. "Where were you?"

"Checking out other stands with Tommy, but we're back now. Seems like your friends seem ecstatic about their new makeover." Purpled pointed towards the entrance of the shop, where Sapnap was running towards Dream and George, Bad right behind him. A large grin was slapped on his face as he pattered over to his brother. "Dream!"

"Hey, Sapnap—oh, _wow._ " Dream blinked, making sure he was seeing right. "Did they give you new armor too?"

"Nah, they just did some like magic and got rid of all the dents and scratches." Sapnap was wearing a white sleeveless shirt, similar to his turtleneck but without the extra cloth wrapped around his neck. Wrapped around his shoulders were white cloth, twisting around his arm to meet at bands on his wrists. Tightened around his waist was a large scarf, adorned with tassels and nearly hanging to his legs. Light-blue trousers clipped with translucent baggy cloth were covered in diamond armor, poleyns on his knees and greaves glistening in the sun. He had on his boots from before, this time with gold bands to match. The pauldrons on his shoulders were adorned by gold chains. His familiar white headband was still wrapped around his head, and his sword was strapped to his scarf. The diamond chestplate had been polished to a shine, nearly blinding Dream had they not been inside the shop. "Impressive, huh?"

"I like it," Dream mused. "Very foreign, but still fits you and your personality. Speaking of which, what about your old clothes?"

"I gave them away for them to use. I don't really need them anyways, I have plenty of other shirts and stuff at home," Sapnap murmured.

"I gave away some of mine too." Bad had abandoned his fur cape, the red cloth having been turned into a scarf that hung from his new tank top to gold bracelets on his wrists. He had on a loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt, draping down slightly to his waist. A white scarf wrapped around the waist, trailing down in two dark blue hues to his knees. Like Purpled, he had on baggy pants as well, along with his diamond boots. His mask was gone, and a leather band strapped around his body held his staff and gauntlets. "It's too hot for any of this anyways. It's a lot cooler now, thank god!"

"Both of you guys look great," George agreed. "Kinda stand out from all the commoners, but still blend in well with merchants."

"George, Dream, I have your clothing ready," Sylvee called from behind them, and Purpled nodded at them. "Go on ahead."

"Don't forget to show us!" Bad called out as the two were dragged away.

_______

"What do you think?" Sylvee asked as she stood proudly, admiring her handiwork.

Dream stared at himself in the mirror, eyes wide with surprise. He had on an incredibly-thin gray shirt that was covered by a light-green tunic, adorned by his cape that was now clipped to both sides, trailing from neon green to deep blue in color. A white sash-like belt was wrapped around his waist, separating the top of the tunic from the bottom. Like Bad, he had on loose leggings that ended at his knees, with golden sandals that wrapped up to meet it. "This is...amazing!"

"Couldn't have said it better, to be honest—I'm speechless." George on the other hand was wearing a short-cut black cape, his now-sleeveless tunic decorated with silver patterns and the band around his shoulders removed, replaced with sleeves that draped down heavily. His sandals had been polished, and his leggings were rolled up to better withstand the heat, slit on each side to allow breathing room.

"Oh, and I finished this as well," Sylvee added as she pulled out a mask. "The plastic was starting to wear out, so I made this instead. It's mostly created from steel, but we colored it the same color as your old one. And we gave it a nice band. Free of charge."

Dream picked up the mask, eyes wide. "Who..."

"It was gonna be a surprise," Sapnap spoke. "Sorry for not telling you sooner...I still have your old one, if you wanna compare."

"No, it's..." Dream stared at the mask, fingers running across the smooth painted surface of the steel mask and the thick leather band that followed it. Despite the tiny holes that were much too small for his eyes, he took off his diadem and handed it to Bad before strapping on the mask. To his surprise, he could see out of it perfectly fine. It was as if it had never been on his face as all. "Did someone enchant this?"

"Me," Purpled confessed. "Obviously you wouldn't be able to see out of that without some magic, so I infused a night-vision potion into the paint and an invisibility one as well."

"Wow...I don't think I'm going to wear it quite yet. But I'll keep it. Thanks, Purpled," Dream murmured as he took off the mask, putting the diadem back on. "Did you already pay?"

"Yep. Thanks for everything, Sylvee." Purpled led the group out of the store and back into the marketplace. "Anyways, do you guys wanna stay a little longer, or are we ready to continue traveling?"

"I'm ready to go," George announced, and Bad nodded in agreement. Sapnap hesitated, but shrugged, and Dream merely didn't say anything.

"Well then, off we go!"

_______

"We're inside," Ph1lza whispered as he materialized into the storage closet, Pete only following moments afterward. Ph1lza blinked, allowing the night vision potion to come into effect before peeking out from the door. He felt absolutely miserable coming back to the castle, but he had no choice. He needed to guide Pete to where he believed Preston could possibly be--and that would be even more difficult because he had no idea where Preston could even be inside of the castle.

"Where to?" Pete whispered, adjusting his mask and crossbow as he examined the surroundings around them.

"If I recall correctly, they haven’t changed the layout of the castle at all since then, which means..." Ph1lza paused, thinking for a moment before nodding at Pete. "There's only two floors Preston could possibly be on—the top floor, and the basement."

"Are you implying we should split?" Pete asked. "I mean, I'm pretty good at remembering my surroundings, but...this palace is completely unfamiliar—not to mention large."

"Yeah, that's fair," Ph1lza muttered. "Alright, stay close to me and prepare to take out any guards in our way. We're heading downstairs first."

Pete nodded, and Ph1lza glanced through the crack once again. Signaling a "clear", he quietly pushed the door open, entering the large and elaborate castle with Pete in tow. The walls were lined with white marble pillars, spiraling up to the curved ceiling that splattered tapestries across its ceiling, stained glass lining the walls as the full moon turned the ground into different shades of color. To Ph1lza, it was as if nothing had changed from his childhood—though there were a significant amount of people missing, now that there was a war at hand.

Coming from their dead-end of a closet, Ph1lza peeked around the hallway, trying to make sense of their location. Presuming they had just came from the storage closet (which was one out of many, anyway) he was sure they were in one of the smaller hallways of the castle, more likely to the left side. The closest entrance to the basement was in the middle of the castle, nearby the front entrance which Ph1lza knew would be a risky gamble to take. There were two other entrances to the basement, but Ph1lza had no idea if he was willing to risk the other options.

The first alternative was the kitchen in the back. It would require a longer trip and would be more dangerous in the need of an escape, but it was relatively safer since the kitchen was generally empty at night. The second alternative was the second, much larger storage closet on the opposite side of the castle—shorter thanks to the main hallways, but would be easier to be seen in since more people came back and forth. There was a third alternative, but he was in no way willing to risk _that_ one.

Pete watched Ph1lza, awaiting his command with a wary look. The assassin himself didn't exactly trust Ph1lza quite yet, especially since he was a fairy, but the priest himself was a living pawn in Hyllifold, and he had no choice but to work with him anyway.

In that moment, Ph1lza made a quick decision, waving his hand over to indicate "follow me". As they quickly made their way down the hallway, Ph1lza was reminded of his explorer days, and a bitter taste welled in his mouth at the thought of his past. Despite that, his stomach was nervous and his hands were jittery at the rush of adrenaline of disobeying rules, of sneaking out—though the circumstances were vastly different. He hated himself for it, but he forced himself to focus. He had a mission to do, whether or not he liked it, and he couldn't bother to lose control because of what had went down in his past.

"This way" he motioned, and he made a quick left, leaving the stained-glass windows behind and arriving towards the clear windows. He glanced quickly, accessing the outdoors, and was relieved to see that there were no prying eyes at an ungodly hour. He would have kept running, had Pete not grabbed his shoulder and clasped his hand over his mouth, pulling him back. Ph1lza nearly tripped, whirling around with enraged eyes, but froze when he saw Pete pull out his crossbow at lightning speed, firing the nocked arrow. His eyes watched the arrow whiz by his face as it impaled itself into the shoulder of a guard that turned into the hallway, immediately setting the sleep-potion into effect as the guard collapsed onto the now-carpeted ground with a soft thud.

"Thanks," Ph1lza whispered as quietly as he could.

"Be careful," Pete responded as he moved towards the sleeping guard, pulling out the now-bloody arrow and sheathing it before nocking another. "Help me drag it away."

Ph1lza stepped closer, slightly cringing at the sight as he dragged the body to the side of the wall. "We need to be faster. Come on."

Pete nodded, following Ph1lza as they quickened their pace. To their surprise, there were little to no guards, which made Ph1lza uneasy. Typically, there were many more at multiple entryways and exits, especially since Wilbur was a secretive king who treasured his privacy. Today was eerily quiet, as if they were walking into a trap.

"I don't like this," he mumbled to himself. He nearly jumped as he glanced over at one door, swearing that he saw eyes stare right back at him. Pete watched him worriedly, but he didn't even notice the assassin behind him anymore. His footsteps quickened as their shadows danced on the walls, and he feared that another would pop up before they made it to their destination.

Making a sharp left Ph1lza pattered into the kitchen (which, thankfully, was empty) with Pete behind him, immediately heading toward the pantry where the secret entrance he used to crawl in and out of was. Opening the doors, he pushed aside flour bags and other perishables, eyes widening in horror.

The entrance that he had used all the time had been painted shut.

"No," Ph1lza whispered, turning back to Pete. Pete raised his eyebrows, but moved his head to see what Ph1lza was surprised about, and furrowed his eyebrows in sympathy.

"What's the other option?" Pete whispered.

"Get outside. We need to get to the garden," Ph1lza mumbled. "Now!"

Pete nodded, whirling around before climbing onto the counter. His feet scrambled up the sink to reach the window above, his hand feeling around the glass for a way to open it. Ph1lza rearranged everything back in place before closing the pantry door, glancing quickly at the kitchen exit before turning to Pete. Pete shook his head, indicating there was no way to open it naturally.

"Small price to pay," Ph1lza grumbled as he climbed up behind Pete, rearing his fist back before slamming it into the glass. The transparent material fell out of its slot and to the ground, shattering into pieces on the paved brick path below. The noise was enough to make Ph1lza cringe as he pushed Pete forward, climbing out after him onto the shrapnel.

"That was such a bad idea," Pete scolded.

"I had a bad feeling about going back. Now come on!" Ph1lza didn’t hesitate to move, ducking low as the neatly-trimmed hedges provided some cover from the open air. Pete followed, not bothering to look back at their damage as Ph1lza dove under vines and arched gateways, arriving towards a gazebo that was decorated in strange pink flowers. Ph1lza skipped the steps up, heading to the middle where there was a magic circle engraved into the ceramic. "I'm going to activate this, and it's going to open a chute down to the basement. But it will be bright, and it will definitely attract attention, so you'll need to be fast!"

"What!? Then they'll know where we are," Pete hissed.

"No, trust me. Very few people know about this entrance. Don't ask me how I know _this_ one in particular, but just trust me, alright?" Ph1lza stared him down. "Come on. We're working together here. I'm technically under your control since you're supposed to be watching me. Woofless ordered that, didn't he?" At that, Pete tensed, and Ph1lza sighed. "That's what I thought. You guys still don't trust me. Can't blame you though."

"He didn't order me anything," Pete countered. "Actually, I respect your guts. Not many priests I know are this brave. Judging from the way you were looking around in a panic earlier, you were scared to death. But you moved forward. That's impressive."

"What's that supposed to imply?" Ph1lza muttered defensively, but to his surprise, Pete chuckled at the response.

"You've got spunk. Are we gonna finish this, or are we gonna sit here like ducks? Come on. I'm ready," Pete urged, taking one last look around their area to make sure the coast was clear.

Ph1lza began to chant quietly, green magic shining in his hands. Pete watched him, fascinated, as the priest laid his glowing hands on the magic circle. The etched lines began to fill with the magic light, glowing brighter and brighter as it filled the circle. Moments later, a loud thunderclap echoed through the garden as the circle fully lit up, dissolving away to reveal a dark chute. "Go!"

Pete jumped in, disappearing into the darkness. Ph1lza checked one last time, but already he could hear voices with his enhanced hearing. Without another moment to waste, he jumped in, falling into the chasm as the light above him closed. The entrance resealed itself, engulfing him in nothingness as he fell down the chute, slamming into the dirt and skidding down. He continued plummeting farther and farther, finally slamming into hard ground. The impact and momentum caused him to roll a bit, his shoulder in pain from hitting the ground. Slowly opening his eyes, he adjusted to the lighting, getting a bearing of his surroundings.

"You good?" Pete whispered, pulling him up. The assassin seemed alright, though his clothes were slightly scuffled from the fall.

"I'm alright, give me a moment." Ph1lza blinked the spots dancing in his eyes as he focused on the candlelit basement. Most of the walls were lined with empty shelves, indicating they were in a more abandoned area of the underground catacombs. The low ceiling forced Pete to hunch over, though Ph1lza was alright. In front of the long room was a tunnel, lit by torches and most likely leading to other parts of the basement.

"I think I know which way to go," Ph1lza declared. "Follow me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up: do we find preston? where are the muffinteers going? how's wilbur doing? who knows?
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	20. Risky Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ph1lza and Pete continue their search for Preston. Wilbur begins to see things. The gods venture towards unknown territory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4200 HITS LETS GOOOO  
> idk how im still able to write this ugh
> 
> less filler, more plot, and 50 chapters wasn't enough apparently
> 
> song inspo: fe sov: praise this despair!

"Where could he be...?" Ph1lza wondered to himself as he desperately tried to recall the layout of the basement. To his relief, there hadn't been any new construction since he had left long ago and he was thankful that everything had mostly been left untouched, allowing him to remember certain landmarks that would help him get back to their exit eventually. They were currently still in the abandoned area, but Ph1lza had no clue whether Preston was trapped in a more-recently-used area or not. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I don't know this place at all, but they're probably gonna use Preston as some sort of bargaining chip, so they would probably leave him in a newer area," Pete hissed.

"That makes everything more risky then. Especially since there'll definitely be more guards around to ensure he doesn't escape. How powerful is Preston, anyway?' Ph1lza made a sharp right turn, the walls slowly becoming smoother and flatter.

"Well, since we're a meritocracy, I'd say he's powerful enough to ascend as king. As the overarching leader of Hyllifold he basically gets to choose his future heir based on their merit. I don't pay attention too much to the system, to be honest." Pete drank another night-vision potion, worried out of his mind. He had assumed at the beginning of the mission that it would be a piece of cake, but in hindsight he probably should've realized earlier that this rescue was no easy task. "Too busy being a mercenary, looking for my next job."

"You're a mercenary?" Ph1lza asked with surprise.

"Yeah...probably one of the best in Hyllifold, if my 'merit' per se got me up to being a part of the leading force of Hyllifold." Pete listened carefully for any sounds of people above them, but there were none, and he continued on. "Preston was willing to pay me quite a lot, so I took the offer. Wasn't expecting to get dragged into the war entirely, but if my own client is in trouble, I'm obligated to help."

"Do you like being a mercenary?" Ph1lza asked.

"Well...can't say I _don’t_ hate it. It's not really an optimal job, but it gets the money. I like being a freelancer." Pete's tone of voice indicated that was the end of the conversation, and Ph1lza decided to focus on finding Preston. To his surprise, Pete changed the subject. "You're not a normal fairy, are you?"

Ph1lza stiffened, his pace slowing, and Pete nudged him. "Don't act so surprised—we gotta keep moving fast. But no fairy I've ever fought before had magic in their voice. Every time you speak, your voice changes tone here and there as if it's prodding around trying to find something to latch onto or attack. Kinda freaky, not going to lie. Did you leave the continent? Is that why your magic is unfamiliar?"

"Too many questions," Ph1lza muttered.

"Alright, keep your secrets," Pete shrugged. "I guess I did ask too much. Sorry."

"No, you're alright. I'll tell you when we're safer—" Ph1lza stopped speaking, whirling around to face Pete with wide eyes. "I heard something."

Pete waited, but there was no follow-up. Ph1lza then chuckled, and Pete realized what the fairy had done. "You sneaky bastard!"

"Well, it shut you up at least," Ph1lza gasped out between giggles, but then there was a series of coughing, and his laughter died out. Pete, having heard it as well, fell silent as he strained to find the direction of the coughing. He mouthed quietly to Ph1lza "It's Preston" and Ph1lza immediately understood. He began to slowly make his way towards the noise, noticing that the catacombs were still seemingly old and abandoned. As he drew closer, he could vaguely make out voices.

"He passed out...what a weakling."

"Well, it's not like we were supposed to kill him. His Majesty said that we were only supposed to make him drink this."

"Fair, but you literally shoved it down his throat. You could've been at least a little more proper."

"This is an elf we're dealing with. His Majesty said he was important...but he doesn't seem like a man of high standing at all."

"Whatever. Let's go. The other guards said there was a commotion above. We need to assist them as soon as we can." To Ph1lza's horror, the footsteps were coming towards their direction. Ph1lza glanced back at Pete, and the assassin nodded. "Take them out quick," he mouthed.

As soon as the guards rounded the corner, decked out in their armor and with weapons at the ready, Ph1lza brought his fist up to the nearest guard, punching him in the face with a right hook. Caught by surprise, the guard reeled back, conjuring a Fire spell. The second guard's eyes widened, and he nearly stabbed Ph1lza with his sword before an arrow forced him to fall back.

"Don't get too cocky," Pete warned, nocking another arrow immediately. "You don't want to set this entire place on fire."

"Help!" The first guard yelled, but Ph1lza smacked his face with a Thunder spell, and the guard crumpled to the ground. His Fire spell slammed into the wooden frames holding up the ceiling, trickles of flames starting to curl at the edges. The second guard gritted his teeth as soon as he noticed his fallen comrade, and sliced at Pete, opening a gash in his arm. Pete fired another arrow, this time it landing true, and the guard fell asleep as the flames began to rise higher, causing the hallway to shift and shudder. Above them, Ph1lza could hear shouts, and he nodded at Pete. "We gotta go now! This way!"

"Right," Pete muttered, leaving his arrows behind as he followed Ph1lza towards where he finally reached an open room. On the floor, there was an overturned urn with some red liquid dripping from the rim. Bound to the wall, beaten up and bleeding, was Preston. He had been stripped of his original armor, wearing nothing but rags, and his body sank to the ground as if he were dead. In this state, he was nearly unrecognizable.

"Father Dan...How did you know it was him from his coughing?" Ph1lza asked, stunned.

"I pick up voices." Pete rushed over, pulling out a dagger and slashing at Preston's ropes. "Surprised they didn't chain him...It's almost like they wanted us to find him."

"Hey! Wake up!" Ph1lza shook Preston, trying to wake the king from his coma. "We need to leave, now!"

"He won't wake up...What did they make him do!?" Pete glanced over at the urn, but his attention was quickly diverted to the sound of voices, as well as fire crackling nearby. "They're here! Use a teleportation spell, now!"

"Those take forever to cast!" Ph1lza protested, but he began to trace the magic circle around them anyway. Pete hefted Preston onto his back, staining his back with some fresh blood. He winced, nocking an arrow with difficulty and firing it as soon as the first guard appeared in view. "I'll cover you!"

"Get them!" Another guard rushed forward, but Pete managed to fire an arrow at the fairy and land it moments before the fairy could grab him. Ph1lza nodded at him, magic flaring up in the room just as more guards piled in and the fire around them became an inferno. "It's ready!"

"Now!" Pete yelled.

The three were engulfed in a pillar of light, and the fairy guards reeled back as the three barely managed to escape the chaos, the fire taking their place as the basement went up in a blaze.

_______

"Seepeekay got the supplies," the messenger informed. "CaptainSparklez also readied the missiles, which are ready to be launched at your command."

"Good. You're dismissed." Wilbur waved him off, and the messenger flew off, out of his presence. Wilbur shut the door to his meeting room, closing the curtains and whiffing out the candles in the lanterns. Making sure no one was present, he pushed aside a bookshelf to reveal a dusty staircase in a tiny alcove, descending down into the darkness. Stepping in, he slid the bookshelf back, and he headed down the stairs as fast as he could. As soon as he settled into his secret chamber, he headed towards the mirror at the end of the square space, staring into it with desperate eyes.

"Where are you? Come back...I need to talk to you." Wilbur asked, tears welling up in his eyes. "Come on...come on!"

"Shhhh...we're here." In the mirror, two shadowy figures materialized, hanging behind Wilbur. He already knew the rules of having his brother and father talk to him--he wasn't allowed to turn around, or they would go away. He couldn't blink rapidly nor touch his eyes lest he get itchy. If he were ever interrupted, they would disappear for the rest of eternity, and he had to be sure that they would never disappear on him again.

He has always suspected that he was going delusional, but after seeing his family, he had reassured himself that he hadn't been going delusional, and instead was gaining some sort of blessing from the gods. "Father...brother..."

"Wilbur...we're here. It's alright." The smoky voice of his brother lifted Wilbur's spirits as tears pricked at the corner of his eyes.

"I'm lost...I've been doubting myself for so long..." Wilbur cracked, gripping the mirror tightly. "Even when I go headfirst into this war, sometimes I wonder if it's really the right choice..."

"Why are you doubting yourself, my son?" His father lamented, swirling in the reflection. "Have I not always told you to carve your own path towards your desires?"

"Yes, but--" Wilbur choked. "Is this what I want, or is this what you guys want? I still need your guidance! I was never supposed to be king!"

"You're competent enough, brother." His brother seemed to smile, a ghostly hand wiping the tear dripping from Wilbur's left eye. "You're leading Keldavegr and Osiadira into a future that will be worth all the sacrifices you make."

"You're right..." Wilbur took a deep breath, sighing as he hardened his gaze. "Hyllifold has been manipulative and deceitful, undermining us and spreading their wicked lies everywhere. The race of the elves are worse than us...they deserve death! All of them."

"That's more like it," his father urged. "Osiadira has been corrupt for too long, hasn't it? You can fix that."

"Yes...Only I have the power...only I have the ability and the knowledge to turn everything around." Wilbur eyed himself in the mirror, his fingers threatening to snap the mirror in half. "This war has already started--I'll see it through to the end to make sure Osiadira reaches its utter utopia!"

_But Techno!_

From the back of his mind, a voice called out, and Wilbur hesitated, the shadows wavering in the reflection. In a small panic, Wilbur tried to push the voice aside, but already the spell had been broken. Both his father and brother disappeared from his sight, and Wilbur slammed his fist into the wall in despair.

"Fuck!" He cursed, crying. "Come back! I need reassurance...I need help!"

"You're more of a lost cause than I thought," a new voice spoke, and Wilbur glanced up towards the mirror in shock, finding that a new figure was behind him. In surprise, he whirled around, but no one was there.

"Tsk tsk. I'm in the mirror, you know. I'm not here in person," the voice said. Wilbur turned back to the mirror, examining the new figure. Their body was mostly covered in a shadow, but Wilbur could identify them as male, though the wings were throwing him off as to what species the entity could possibly be.

"Who are you!? How did you get here?" Wilbur asked, drawing his rapier--though he put it away after realizing that he couldn't attack a mirror.

"Mmmm...name basis already? No thanks. I'll tell you I'm a god, though." The entity cackled, making Wilbur slightly uncomfortable.

"A god...? But there's only three gods--Father Sky, Father Dan, and...yeah. Are you an ancient god?" Wilbur questioned frightfully.

"In a sense, I suppose so...though no one knew me back then." The god seemed to cross his arms. "I've been watching you for a while now. I wasn't expecting you to start a war, but this makes everything better for me."

"What in Father Dan are you even talking about?" Wilbur frowned.

"Ah, I haven't told you, haven't I? I'm the one who revived the Wither," the god responded.

Wilbur tensed immediately, and he rose. "Then take it out and away from here. You are harming my people."

"Ha! Says the one determined to start the genocide of another species." The god howled in laughter, rearing his head back as Wilbur stared him down. "Anyways, I can't do that. I have other plans, of course...but I'll be willing to turn the Wither a blind eye against your fae...and focus them on Hyllifold in your service."

"You want to bargain with me. But why?" Wilbur implored, doubting his self-worth.

"You're the emperor, after all. I'm sure you can pull off my deal." The god's smile became bigger, tearing unnaturally at his face.

"Fine. What's your idea?" Wilbur asked.

"Easy. You'll need to take control of a puppet of mine, and train him to kill King Preston," the god said.

"I'm sorry...what?" Wilbur blinked, recalling what the god had just said. "All I need to do is train a doll to kill the king?'

"It seems we both have a common enemy, do we not?" The god seemed to pace around the edges of the mirror. "Besides, you're getting the good side of the deal here, though my puppet is quite old--I'd say around a couple of millenia, but it's not terrible. In return, the Wither will stop attacking you guys and will attack Hyllifold instead _or_ go into hiding until the end of the war. You should be happy that you're getting this kind of bargain. And with a god, no less."

Wilbur sat there, thinking. "How long does the offer stand for?"

"Only now. Once I leave, you won't get it back. Make a choice~" The god watched him, humming.

"...Alright. I'll take your deal." Truthfully, Wilbur didn't want to deal with gods, much less one that he had no clue about, and he merely accepted it because he saw no flaws in the idea.

"Wonderful!" The god clapped, his grin reaching to his ears. "I'll send the doll here tomorrow night, then. It doesn't quite have a mind of its own, but you'll be able to control him nevertheless. To seal the deal, just smash the mirror. I got to go anyway."

"A-Alright." Wilbur swallowed, rearing back his fist, and closed his eyes as his fist connected with the mirror. He could hear the distant cackle of the god as the mirror shattered into pieces, glass and material splaying out onto the floor. As if there were a barrier around his face, none of the shards got stuck on his face and body. He opened his eyes, seeing the shattered mirror, and rose.

"What _was_ that all about?" Wilbur murmured to himself. Too exhausted to clean up the mess himself, he rose, turning away and heading back up the staircase. He needed rest, after all, and if the god wasn't lying he would have to start educating a doll soon. With a heavy heart he left the secret chamber, thoughts still roaming aimlessly in his mind.

_______

"What is this place?" Sky followed Dan in the warped and messy catacombs, eyeing the strange landscape around them. Vines of strangely colored plants and vegetation lined the walls, the ground simultaneously crunching and squishing under his feet. The suffocating hot air was humid enough to feel as if his own magic were being dampened, the unknown territory being adverse to its newcomers. Large rivers of lava threatened to swallow them whole, and shadows roamed everywhere in the distance.

"It feels...old. Ancient. Long before our time. This is definitely the place," Dan confirmed. "We need to find the source of energy and break it. It's just that this whole place is so...vast."

"If this is a new world entirely, it could take quite a while to find the place. We're already breaking so many rules to the point where our own powers are weakened...It's terrifying to think about." Sky finally was back out in the open air, though it did nothing to tone down the arid atmosphere.

"Something is coming!" Dan hissed, and Sky immediately braced himself, drawing his saber. Dan readied magic in his hand, looking around.

The world itself seemed to ripple as a figure materialized into thin air, holding a lance in his hand. At the sight of the two, his lip curled into a grin, and Dan nudged Sky. "It's him," Dan muttered.

"It's me, indeed! Two gods came to pay me a visit? I'm flattered," the figure sang. "But really, neither of you should've come here. Maybe I would've left you alone, but can't have that now thanks to you guys intrudting onto my domain."

"You've been here...all this time," Dan growled. "What are you planning to do with Osiadira?"

"I've been here since its very creation! We've stretched out to other places as well, but those have gone down in flames. I'm a god just like you, and it's about time I get some recognition. Been long overdue, of course." The god twirled his lance before pointing it straight at the gods. "This is my domain, you know! No place for you here. Best I get rid of you now."

"We're not going to back down. We _will_ protect Osiadira from the likes of you," Sky hissed. "Dan, you ready?"

"Always been," Dan replied.

"Willing to throw your lives away? How heroic," the god scoffed. "Truly the mark of benevolent gods like you two."

"Our lives were always ready to be thrown down to stop Osiadira from a terrible future. We'll do that here gladly!" Dan yelled. "Let's dance!"

"Better swallow your pride, then," the god laughed. "Bring it on!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up: secret lofnheim weapon? prestons alright! things get messy 
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	21. Beacon of Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Muffinteers awaken Purpled's secret weapon, only to reach more mishaps after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4400 hits? thank you guys for sticking by me! i've been hitting multiple writer blocks, mainly because it feels so empty here lol. but i'm alright! i keep writing for my motivation :D
> 
> this chapters one main pov only, which is a first
> 
> song inspo: fe3h - awakening (the soundtrack, not the game)

"Are we close yet?" Dream asked as they trudged through the sand dunes, night falling on them quickly as the sun began to set below the horizon, golden rays outlining the hills. The sand seemed to drag at his feet, tiring him out. He had lost total track of where he had came from—other than the occasional village or oasis, Lofnheim was pure sand. At first he had welcomed it since the sand had been similar to his villageside, but now he was starting to despise it.

Looking around, everyone beside Tommy and Purpled were struggling to continue on as well. Sapnap was sweating profusely, having already drained a whole canteen and a half. Bad had his eyes closed in a futile attempt to drive out the sun from his vision. George seemed weighed down, his wings drooping and wrinkled as if they were shriveling up.

"We're very close now. It should be right around...oh, here!" Purpled bent down, his hands pushing aside the sand as he dug through the ground, Tommy alongside him assisting. After a couple of minutes, Purpled leaned back, wiping his forehead. Where he had dug now laid a deep trough, the bottom barely visible in the increasing darkness. There was a large flat piece of stone, a magic circle etched into the marble. Dream subconsciously pulled back, memories of Ph1lza fleeing through his mind. He glanced over at the sigil on his arm, finding it unusually quiet.

"I got it," Tommy declared as he laid his hand on the stone. The magic circle lit up and slid aside into the sand, revealing a dark tunnel underneath. "Who wants to hop in first?"

"Tommy, stop scaring the guests. I'll go first," Purpled reprimanded. He sat at the edge of the trough before sliding in, disappearing into the chasm below. Tommy rolled his eyes, glancing at the rest of the group. "I'll go in last for insurance. Hurry along."

Dream exhaled slowly, stepping to the edge of the dune before sitting down on the sand. It dug into his legs, threatening to make him topple over. Pressing his hands into the sand for insurance, he slid onto the metal chute, and let go.

Almost immediately cold air slammed into his face and he shuddered from the sudden change in temperature. Skidding down the chute, the wind whistled around him as everything around him became a dark blur, the only sound in his ears being the echo of his voice as he let out a slightly-panicked scream.

After a while, he finally slammed onto the ground, groaning in pain from the impact. Rising to his feet slowly, his eyes met Purpled's, the latter holding a lantern in hand as concern washed over his expression. "You alright?"

"Not...exactly," Dream winced. He was about to speak, but was interrupted by the screams of George, increasing only in volume as the fairy drew near. Seconds later the fairy tumbled out of the chute, hovering in the air dizzily.

"My wings! They nearly got torn in there." George steadied himself, landing back onto the ground. He looked up at Dream, his eyes temporarily darting to Purpled, before rubbing his face. "Ouch."

"AaaaaaUGH!" Sapnap's voice followed as he soon arrived behind George, nearly running into him as a result. "What kind of entrance is _that!?_ "

"Apologies," Purpled admitted. "We made it that way so it would be less susceptible to intruders. Not many people, especially not in Lofnheim, would be so willing to just drop down a chute that could possibly lead to their death."

"So it's all a mind game?" Dream asked just as Bad tumbled out of the opening, cursing to himself.

"In a sense, yeah. Didn't really think that far ahead about it, but it sounds about right to me." Purpled waited for Bad to dust himself off, before waving his hand over. "Follow me."

The room they were currently in was massive, the walls stretching upwards to meet the dome ceiling above. There was no light other than Purpled's lantern, leaving the majority of it in darkness. In the middle of the marble floor was an elevated platform with a large turquoise crystal embedded in its center, protruding out from the bottom and covered in a glass cage. The crystal itself glowed faintly, as if its own power were being suppressed. Purpled headed towards it, Dream and the rest following.

"What is that?" Sapnap asked, his voice echoing in the large room. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"It's our weapon. We've been working on it for the past couple of decades." Purpled stopped in front of it, running his hand along the crystal. "Lucky for me, my predecessor finished this before his death. It's called a beacon. It works a lot like a ballista in a sense—my family managed to seal their magic down here, allowing the beacon to release two blasts of magic energy. It might not seem like a lot, but my heritage is...quite powerful. One shot alone could probably decimate a fortress."

"If you've had that, why haven't you used it?" Bad seemed to be against the idea of coming near the weapon, instead backing away as if it were about to explode. Dream glanced over at him worriedly, but the human shook his head as if to indicate _I'm fine._

"Well, it contains magic from millennia ago. Not only is it bound by an extra protective spell, the magic itself needs to have a...conductor? Like a host, almost. Anyone from today's era would just combust from the sheer power. But if Dream and Sapnap are really over two thousand years old...they're guaranteed survival of the whole ordeal." As Purpled spoke, his voice subtly lost warmth, as if he were watching the situation from an outside perspective.

"So what are we going to do?" Sapnap questioned. 

"Both of you will have to stand opposite of each other, and then place your hand on the crystal. I'll chant the spell to unbind the protective layer, and then we'll see whether or not the beacon will awaken or not. If all goes well, you should still be the same afterwards. It's just a temporary vessel kind of thing." At Bad's horrified expression, Purpled winced. "Okay, maybe that wasn't the best way to word it. But I think you guys get what I mean."

"What about Bad and I?" George asked.

"Can I stay away from that thing?" Bad whimpered. 

"Actually, staying away is probably the best idea. Stay alongside the walls in case they cause a mini-explosion of sorts." Tommy, who had came down much more quietly and had been watching everything in silence, finally spoke up. "I'll stay with you guys, and then Purpled can do what he needs to do."

"Are you guys sure you wanna go through with this?" Purpled asked, making sure to confirm.

"Yeah. We'll do it," Dream confirmed. "Sapnap, are you ready to do this?"

"I'm ready," Sapnap agreed.

Bad, George, and Tommy all backed up to the wall farthest from the beacon, watching the ritual begin. Purpled waved Dream and Sapnap over, and both stepped onto the platform, placing their hand on the beacon on opposite sides. The glass cage itself was cold, the smooth material barely protecting Dream from the crystal inside. He was tempted to let go, but he couldn't bear to do so, especially after he had come this far.

"You might want to close your eyes," Purpled instructed. "Will help with the process."

Dream closed his eyes. He didn't bother to check if Sapnap had closed his, for everything was suddenly much darker.

Everything drowned out in his ears as Purpled began to chant in old, gibberish language. Dream could feel the magic under his hand warping, as if fading away. His left arm began to ache as if the sigil on his forearm was pulsating again, sensing the ancient magic underneath. Terror clawed at his heart, but he pushed his fears aside, waiting.

Then, there was a pulse, and Dream could feel magic flowing through his body, coming from the beacon. Wind that came from the beacon exhaled out into the room as Purpled finished.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then everything went white.

The beacon's cage exploded, glass shattering everywhere as the crystal fully lit up, shining brightly in the large room and lighting everything up in a powerful blue glow. Out of the top of the square crystal, a blue beam of light exploded out, piercing through the ceiling as if it weren't there and reaching up towards the heavens, causing a slight rumble in the earth. The wind picked up, whirling around Dream and Sapnap as both were enveloped in a white glow. Bad and George were both forced to shield their eyes to keep from being blinded by the sudden onslaught of power.

The crystal continued to shine in all of its brillance for a while longer, and both Dream and Sapnap opened their eyes at the same time. Their eyes, no longer the normal blue and green colors they were, were now pure white, also glowing with energy. At the same time, the sigils on their arms were struggling against the new magic, as if trying to fight it inside of them. Their hands were still on the crystal, power visibly rippling up and down their arms as they took in the brute force of the spell.

Materializing alongside Dream appeared a ghostly whirlwind, slowly taking shape in a bright light. The blob materialized into a pegasus, complete with ghastly armor that seemed to flicker in the wind. In fact, the entire pegasus was flickering, as if were about to dematerialize at any moment.

Alongside Sapnap, the same phenomenon began to occur, a figure materializing from the wind. Instead of a pegasus however, it was merely a horse instead--reminsicent of Sapnap's general days as a calvary unit.

Finally, after what seemed like so long, Dream and Sapnap both collapsed onto the ground, their eyes returning to their normal color as their hands finally let go of the crystal. The beacon was fully lit now, a beam of bright light shining into the sky above. George and Bad both finally opened their eyes, gaping at the mess in front of them. Scattered across the platform were glass shards, somehow all evading Dream and Sapnap entirely. Purpled was in the back, rising from the ground as he regained his bearings.

"ARE YOU OKAY!?" Bad's first instinct was to rush up to the two elves, immediately fussing over them like he was their own mother. "You two have to be more careful! What the hell happened!?"

"The awakening was successful," Purpled groaned, rubbing his temples. "Dream and Sapnap woke up the weapon, which means that every case of the sickness should be cured now...Though I guess a lot of other things happened as well..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" George asked as he hovered over Dream, worry in his eyes.

"Well first of all, these animals appeared," Purpled spoke. "My best guess is that they were one of my ancestors' life force, and they got too attached to Dream and Sapnap. They couldn't bother to leave, so instead of adding power to the beacon, they sort of reincarnated into these animals. They look like they're made of wind...Don't know if my hand would pass through or not, but I feel like it I try to stick my hand in one it would cut my hand off."

"The pegasus?" Dream groaned, getting up from the platform with George's help. He stepped towards the pegasus, carefully reaching up to touch it. The pegasus' hide didn't feel soft like a typical pegasus' fur, but his hand didn't pass throught either. The pegasus whinned, bowing its head down towards Dream before dissolving into nothingness. "Oh..."

"What? Did you discover something?" Purpled's eyes widened.

"The pegasus has a name--Gungnir. And it's speaking to me inside my head or something. Supposedly, I'm its "owner" and can call on it whenever I'm in a dire situation--but only so many times." Dream stared down at the sigil on his arm--Ph1lza's binding magic was still intact, and the sigil rested quietly in his arm. "For some reason...I feel very different."

"Same," Sapnap grumbled as he stood up, eyeing the new horse at his side. "You're Sigrun, huh? You remind me a lot of my old horse long ago." His expression became wistful as the horse dissolved. "I'm also feeling weird. Like I'm more...out of touch?"

"I guess you've finally figured out how old you guys are really are," Purpled joked, but Dream wasn't smiling. Instead, he was staring at the beacon. "Won't this attract attention?"

"It probably will," Purpled muttered. "But anyways, we should get out and find a place to rest. I know a village nearby, maybe they can--"

A loud rumble from above shook the area slightly, stones coming from from the top of the roof as the entire place shuddered. Dream nearly fell back onto the ground, had he not been caught by George. "Thanks, George."

"What the hell is going on up there?" Purpled murmured.

"Purpled!" Tommy burst through the opening of the chute, panting hard. His face was streaked with tears, his eyes wide with horror and shock. "C-Come out, all of you! T-There's giant balls of magic flying through the sky a-and--"

"Tommy, it's okay! Let's go guys," Purpled ordered, running towards the chute. "Besides, where were you!? I thought you were next to Bad and George against the wall earlier!"

"It's a long story," Tommy gasped. "Please, just come out and then I'll tell you what happened--"

Another rumble shook the area, and Tommy yelped, frightened out of his mind. "Father Sky!"

"Okay, we gotta go _now._ " Purpled climbed into the chute, scampering his way back up as the rest of the group followed.

_______

"What the fuck!?" Bad gaped at the sky, utterly dumbfounded.

In the sky, red and purple blended together as magic fireballs that seemed to be cities wide slammed into different areas of Lofnheim, erupting the sands into flames. The ground shook under their weight, though the beacon's light held steady.

"Missiles," Bad murmured, eyes wide with horror. He bent down immediately, closing his eyes and covering his ears with a shell-shocked look on his face. "No! No..." Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

"Bad?" Sapnap asked frightfully, but he was interrupted by another rumbling as another fireball made contact with the ground. "Purpled, is it even safe to stay here!?"

"We're not near civilization, but I still don't think it's a good idea to stay put! We gotta go check on the villages...something could've happened to them." Purpled managed to keep his balance, waving his hand over. "Come on!"

"Bad, get up! We can't stay here!" Dream shook his friend's shoulders, and Bad opened his eyes, looking up at the elf. Dream's arms went slack as he saw the expression on his friend's face--Bad's green eyes, once lively and sparkling with curiosity, were now dead and dull, hollow with the horror of...something that had happened to him. Dream shook his head--he knew that feeling and look all too well having seen it in a mirror many times, and he didn't want anyone else to have to suffer. "Bad...snap out of it, please," he begged.

Bad blinked a couple of times before nodding, wiping his eyes and locking his jaw. "Right."

"They've stopped," Purpled murmured, and to Dream's horror, he realized Purpled was right. There were no more fireballs lining the sky, setting Lofnheim ablaze. The air felt cold and empty, as if it were the ghost of a civilization. "The symbols in the sky...they were of Keldavegr."

" _What!?_ " George yelled, gaping. "But you're their vassal state!"

"I don't know if their intentions were to try to coerce us into making a decision, or if they had just seen the beacon and planned this as a surprise...but those 'missiles' or what Bad called it landed around the areas where all the cities and villages are. Possibly even my palace," Purpled speculated. "This can't be happening..."

"We're wasting time! People could be dying as we speak!" Tommy shouted. "Let's go!"

"Right," Purpled muttered, face set with determination. "Know this, Dream--I lied to you earlier, and was planning on abstaining from this war entirely. After the awakening, I would have trapped you guys here in Lofnheim until the war ended, before revolting against Keldavegr. But now...things are different. You may not be a general, but now that Keldavegr's done this, you have my word that I am _not_ sitting idly by this war anymore. The revolution starts _now._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up: techno and tapl? who knoes :D
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	22. A Lonely Figure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Purpled, Tommy, and the Muffinteers assess the damage, Preston begins to doubt himself. The situation is becoming more and more dire...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE OFFICIALLY BEAT THE HIT COUNT THAT USED TO BE THE HIT COUNT FOR MY TOP HIT WITH 4500 HITS LETS GOOOOO! THANK YOU GUYS FOR STAYING BY ME :D
> 
> song inspo: fe3h - a lonely figure (lol, 0 originality here)

"That's everyone, right?" Dream yelled as he ushered the last family out of their home, doing his best to stay away from the flames overriding the village.

"Should be," Sapnap shouted back as his brother turned the corner, sword in hand. "Where's Bad!?"

"Here," the human choked out, coming out from a column of smoke, coughing at the top of his lungs. "We need to get out as soon as possible! The whole place is going to collapse!"

"Father Sky protect us," Dream muttured under his breath, terrified. Though he wasn't particularly religious, he was seriously wishing that there would be some sort of miracle, some sort of way to combat the disaster. To no avail, of course, nothing had changed. After having seen the missiles fall from the sky, they had ran to the nearest village only to find the entire place in flames, vegetation reduced to ashes and craters where houses once were. The damage was atrocious--overkill, even. It was a miracle there were survivors.

"Let's go!" George screeched from above, diving down to whiz by them. "This way!"

Smoke swarmed Dream's vision as he followed the fairy blindly, memories of the war long ago plaguing his mind endlessly. He wanted to scream and cry, but he forced himself forward, praying internally for everything to go away. His eyes burned from the smoke going into his eyes, debris making them water. Though he felt terrible about it, he was glad that the missile had totally decimated the majority of the inhabitants and buildings. He didn't have to see their dead bodies, for they were all buried in ash.

Fresh air slapped his face and eyes as he came to a stop, coughing from the smoke. Opening his eyes fully, he couldn't bear to look back at the flaming village, instead turning to Tommy who was standing nearby. "Tommy..."

"Dead...all of them..." Tommy murmured, unusually quiet. Tears pricked at the edge of his eyes. "This is all my fault, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Dream asked.

"I was going to head back to the palace...to prepare to send a letter to Wilbur. I didn't tell my brother because I knew he wouldn't allow it, but I was too prideful--too caught up in my idea of defecting from my brother's ideas. But now I know that Keldavegr was never with us in the first place. It's ridiculous, isn't it? And yet, it makes sense. Elves and fairies just don't mix. That was the way that was taught since the beginning of the age of Osiadira." Tommy's face was wracked with guilt as he stared down at the sand.

"That's what you were doing?" Tommy's head shot up immediately, whirling around in horror as his brother emerged from behind, seemingly having come out of nowhere once again. Purpled's expression was unreadable as he eyed his brother.

"Purpled, I—"

"You left us down there so you could run off and try to get in contact with Wilbur," Purpled began. "And then you planned to leave me and turn against me."

"Stop," Tommy muttered, shaking his head. "Stop talking."

"Tommy, I'm not mad." Purpled stepped closer, wary. "I just wanna know why you considered doing it."

Though the air was free, the atmosphere felt suffocating. Dream stepped back, wondering whether or not he could've done the same thing to Sapnap—or vice versa. From the way Tommy shuffled on the sand, Dream could tell the elf rarely let down his pride. He felt as if he were intruding on the conversation, but at the same time he didn't have anywhere else to go. Instead, he turned away, not wanting to watch the spectacle with his own eyes.

"I'm worried about you, okay!?" Tommy spat, Purpled's eyes widening in surprise. "Even though the epidemic is over, it still claimed our dad's life! I'm worried that you'll get sick too! With such a lack of resources and everything, I thought sucking up to Keldavegr would be the best way t-to make sure you would stay alive...that we would both stay alive. But _you_ wanted to rebel! You were about to start a war we would obviously lose, and for what!? So that I could watch you die in front of me? Or you could watch me die in front of you!? You're—You're so goddamn selfish! How could you possibly think of leaving everyone behind for your ideals!? Don't you know we _care_ about you!?"

Tommy's voice died out as he gasped for breath, his anger fully vented out. "And now...thousands of people are dead...maybe more. All because I believed Keldavegr would listen to me. In the end, there was nothing I could do."

The silence was only broken by the crackling of the fire overtaking the village, cinders flying about and illuminating the sand in a reddish glow. Purpled was staring at his brother, speechless. Tommy's head hung low, his hair shielding his eyes from Dream's vision.

"Tommy. What in the world made you think that I would be mad at you for all of this? None of this was your fault. Keldavegr did this on their own accord, not yours." Purpled reached out to grasp Tommy's shoulder, but the elf pushed his arm aside, looking away. Purpled's lip only curled upward even more in a reassuring smile. "You did what you thought was best with me in mind. That's already enough incentive for me to forgive you."

"H-How could you? Your—our whole country is in flames!" Tommy thrust his hand out, waving to the village burning behind them. "Our people are close to none! What are we going to do now!? How can I—How can we possibly even remedy this?"

"Well, for one, we woke the new weapon, which can be very, very useful." Sapnap interrupted the conversation, both Lofnheim royals whirling towards him. "Look, I don't know your entire history or whatever, but you know that we're joining Hyllifold, right? Why not come with us? I mean, we haven't seen King Preston before, but he seems to be a nice guy and could probably use all the help he could get. Besides, it could help you break away from Keldavegr and maybe establish some sort of friendship between your countries so supplies could be sent back and forth. You were already planning to rebel, and there's a war happening—go take advantage of it."

"Never thought I'd hear you saying that, but here we are," Dream muttered under his breath.

"You're right," Purpled muttered. "Tommy!"

"W-What?" Tommy's eyes widened at the mention of his name.

"Let's split now. You head back to the palace, round up any survivors and get them all to refuge in there. Both of us know that Keldavegr isn't going to negotiate with us any longer, so you use the weapon for its original purpose and blow up some of their cities, will ya? Actually, take my role for the war." Purpled slid off his emerald ring, pushing it onto a shocked Tommy's finger. "Take control of Lofnheim for now. You'll need to defend the country."

"Where are you going!?" Tommy screeched. "I can't wear this!"

"I'm going with these guys—will you guys be heading back to Hyllifold?" Purpled asked. Dream nodded, and Purpled's jaw tightened. "Then it's set. You'll have to keep the ring—I have plenty other ways to prove that I'm the original leader anyway. I'm going to fight."

"You're insane! Laying down your life—" Tommy swallowed, biting his words back. "Fine. I'll do what you say. But you _better_ not die on me, got it!? I care about you too much for you to die."

"Trust me, I ain't dying anytime soon," Purpled chuckled. "I'll see you again when this whole thing is all over, alright?"

Tommy seemed to be holding back tears, chest swelling with pride. He saluted his brother quickly, turning away and running off before he could burst into tears. Dream and the rest watched him go. "Father Sky protect him," George muttered under his breath.

"Now that that's settled...let's hope your boat isn't demolished." Purpled turned back to Dream, and Dream immediately knew what to do.

_______

Standing in the middle of the hallway, illuminated by the moonlight, was the king of Hyllifold himself. Outside, there was the peaceful silence of nothingness, accompanied only by a slight breeze in the wind rustling the forests ahead. Both Lachlan and Vikk had retired their armies early. There was another war council meeting at dawn, and yet Preston couldn't seem to catch a wink of sleep. The time was already past midnight and he was still recuperating from his imprisonment in Keldavegr.

Memories of the events flashed through his mind: the guards forcing a drink down his throat that tasted strangely of blood, being stripped of his crown and noble clothing, and Wilbur staring him down with cold eyes and a smirk on his face, hollow mirth dancing across his fingers as he condemned him. In the little time they had made eye contact, Preston could see absolutely no life in Wilbur's eyes. It haunted him.

"Preston?" Woofless' voice broke through the silence, and Preston turned around to see his retainer. "Why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep," Preston replied truthfully. "I was thinking about the events that happened while I was kidnapped in the castle."

"I was worried your wounds opened up again. Even with all this linen, you still look pretty beaten up," Woofless commented, and Preston winced. "Okay, I didn't mean for it to come out that way, but you get what I mean."

"Yeah..." Preston sighed, placing a hand over his stomach. "My stomach is scaring me, actually. While I was there, they..."

"You don't have to tell me anything if you're not comfortable," Woofless reassured. "Don't overwork yourself—we literally just saved you last night."

"No, no. It was just that...Wilbur looked so _different._ It was kind of like he was revealing his true colors, as if he had been pretending only to be benevolent and kind. His eyes, they were...they were so dead. Sadistic. It was almost like he lost himself. I don't know why, but even then he somehow saved me from humiliation. Unintentionally, of course, but he beat me up enough to make me unrecognizable." Preston gently touched his cheek, feeling the bruises that had appeared. "Afterward, throwing me into the basement instead of a holding cell...I was worried it was some sort of trap. Some guards came and forced me to drink—to drink this substance. I don't know what it was, but it tasted like...blood."

"What an animalistic form of torture." Woofless shook his head. "Do you think it was some sort of potion?"

"I doubt that...if it were a potion, it would have settled in now, and I don't feel any different. It may be some sort of incentive, some other way to try and frame me." Preston turned back to the window. "It may have become worse had Pete and Ph1lza not come to save me. You ordered them to find me, didn't you?"

"Yeah, with Ph1lza's planning, we deduced that you were at the castle." Woofless ran his fingers through his hair.

"I knew you'd find me somehow." Preston grinned, turning back to Woofless. "Thank you...really. For everything you've done for me since we began our friendship."

"Preston, you never have to thank me. Besides, I'm still repaying that debt I owe you." Woofless laughed as he reminisced. "I still remember how we first met, and my life before this as a brigand. How I used to steal from villages and attack people, nearly killing them every time..."

"And then you came across me and tried to kill me," Preston chuckled. "You didn't even know I was the prince at the time."

"Well yeah, but I didn't grow up with a proper education, you know. You ended up taking me to your dad because you thought I was one of your childhood friends or something." Woofless sighed, chuckling. "You nearly got me killed."

"Yeah, and then dad was like 'He's a brigand,' and I freaked out before begging him to take you in. I _really_ believed you were my childhood friend for some reason," Preston murmured. "It's a good thing we both have each other now, to watch each other's backs." His smile dropped as his shoulders slumped. He reached up to his head, feeling for a crown that was no longer there. "We've lost so much in this war already, and it's only just begun."

"Preston..." Woofless' voice faltered as Preston lifted his head up and turned to him, tears brimming at his eyes.

"Woofless." Preston's voice cracked. "Am I even fit to be a king?"

"Oh, Preston," Woofless murmured, and he opened his arms. Almost immediately, the king fell into them, sobbing into Woofless' shoulder. Woofless merely patted his back, rubbing circles with his thumb. He racked his mind to try and find something to say, but no words seemed to form in his mouth. He could only stand and be an anchor for his friend in the rare moment that he was able to gush out his true emotions.

"Preston, I know you've probably heard this a million times, but listen to me." Woofless lifted the king's head from his shoulder, forcing him to face him. Preston's eyes were red-rimmed, tears streaming down his cheeks and soaking into the bandages. "You're a good person. You think you're not that great, that you're not a good king, but you've already done so much for the people. The amount of lives lost were minimized thanks to your quick thinking and prediction. There will always be people that are dissatisfied, but you've always kept the country in mind. You're a selfless guy. You're a good king."

"Woofless.." Preston cracked a smile, his hands shaking. "You're overestimating my achievements."

"It's true," Woofless bantered. "Don't let anyone bring you down, Preston. You're strong enough."

"...I have a request for you," Preston murmured, breaking through Woofless' pep talk.

"Yeah? What is it?" Woofless watched Preston expectantly, waiting to see what would happen.

"Naturally, no one will make it out of this war unscathed. We already saw Vikk and Lachlan lose their vigor--Lachlan especially, with what you told me about his best friend being one of the leading generals on Keldavegr's side. Though i don't know Pete and Ph1lza very well, I do feel as if they will see much more bloodshed then they are used to. And Bajan...trying his best to heal everyone around him, yet unable to save so many...These are just some of the many that will be affected forever," Preston began.

"What are you getting at?" Woofless asked.

"In case anything goes awry, I want you to be king in my stead until you find someone more worthy," Preston finished.

"... _What!?_ " Woofless' eyes widened. "Don't say stuff like that! You won't die!"

"Even though you've comforted me, there's no doubting the fact that we're still losing this war. It was a miracle Wilbur didn't kill me right off the bat to ensure his victory over Hyllifold. Almost as if he wanted to make the country suffer first. It backfired, luckily, but still." Preston's voice was hard as if he had been trying to convince himself many times about this decision earlier. "I'm not saying you have to be king forever, but I don't want my wife and son to be put in danger, nor do I know anyone else who would be fit to take my place in the war other than you. While I was stuck in the castle, you kept everything running even though I was gone and my missing presence was causing chaos. You can do it."

"Even after the war? If we win, will I have to continue to be king?" Woofless asked.

"That's why I said to find someone to take your place. Hyllifold is a meritocracy, not a hierarchy. Hell, make a competent villager with common sense the king if you think they'd be the right one to lead us," Preston pointed out.

"...Fine. But let's hope this stays hypothetical, because I don't want you to die," Woofless grumbled. "I trust you, alright? So don't go dying on me, alright?"

"I'll try my best," Preston reassured, which was not very reassuring for Woofless. "Talking with you managed to get my frustration out. Thank you."

"Don't gotta thank me," Woofless chuckled. "Remember that, okay?"

"Of course," Preston replied before yawning. "Okay, I think I'll go to sleep now."

"Yeah, go do that," Woofless encouraged. "I'll see you at the meeting at dawn."

"Alright, goodnight," Preston murmured, finally moving from his spot. "Oh, and Woofless?"

"Yeah?" His retainer turned around to face him.

"Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	23. Deal for Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno makes an impulsive decision. Preston and the rest prepare for the next battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YO 4800 HITS!? WE'RE NEARLY HALFWAY TO 10,000! DAMN, PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIKE THIS HUH
> 
> if anyone ever makes fanart of this au pls hashtag it on twitter with #ADADfanart so I can find it thanks love yall
> 
> don’t hate me for what i did this chapter :D
> 
> song inspo: fe sov: the darkness

"H-He did it," Techno stammered, staring at the sky with wide eyes.

"Did what?" TapL asked.

"The missiles. The goddamn missiles. And I only saw what--two, three, maybe four of them? There's more that he has at his arsenal, and he's already using them." Techno bit his lip, shaking himself out of his own stupor. "Good lord...what has this war become?"

"Are we ever going to join it?" TapL traced the ground with his finger, grass tickling his hands.

"...Most likely, yeah." Techno glanced back at TapL, eyes sorrowful. "Look, at this point you might just wanna split up with me. We're both hindering each other, and I don't want you to have to suffer for something that I'm doing for my wants, not yours."

"Techno." TapL's voice was firm. "Maybe I never intended to follow you this far down. But I don't have any home to return to, so I'm going to see where this path leads. I may be emotional, but I don't need pity. This was a choice I made, and I'm going to see through with it."

"Are you sure?" Techno asked.

"Positive," TapL ensured, nodding.

"Then don't try to talk me out of this," Techno warned, grabbing TapL's arm.

"What's that supposed to mean?" TapL asked suspiciously. "What are you--"

Before he could finish his sentence, Techno whipped out the end crystal stashed in his belt, smashing it to pieces in his fist. TapL's eyes widened at the sight, but any word he had been about to say was ripped out of his mouth as a purple light shrouded them in complete darkness, the ground collapsing beneath them as they both sunk down into the void of the Ender Dragon's mental domain.

"Techno, are you actually-" TapL gasped, clutching onto his friend's wrist tightly in fear of losing sight of him.

"Trust me," Techno murmured seconds before they slammed onto the end island, no pain erupting in their bodies thanks to their physical nonexistence. The Ender Dragon soared from one of her precious pillars, wings spread out as she let out a majestic and terrible roar, shaking the ground below them. TapL shielded himself, slightly terrified of the new presence. "I-Is that the Ender Dragon?"

"You're back," the dragon sneered, ignoring TapL's question entirely. "Have you made a decision?"

"Yes," Techno replied.

"You're not actually going to—Techno, are you..." TapL's voice died out as he saw the look in Techno's eyes—the prince was on the verge of _crying_.

"Don't try to stop me," Techno murmured, staring back at TapL with a faint smile on his face. "You've done so much for me...and I want to thank you one last time. This is for everything you've done for me...for all the mistakes I've made. This is my only way to remedy them. I'll make sure this doesn't go to waste. So please...don't stop me, Harvey."

TapL gaped at him. "My real name..."

"So that is the choice you have made? Excellent!" The dragon laughed, her cackles haunting and terrifying. "You have my services, then. Draw closer, and I'll give you the reins of my presence. Are you truly ready to give up your sanity?"

"Yes," Techno assured, walking towards the dragon in the middle of the island. TapL tried to reach out, to keep him from going forward, but he couldn't get himself to move, frozen in place by the shock. He moved his mouth, trying to speak, and just as Techno reached the front of the Ender Dragon, he managed to find his voice—though it was already too late. "TECHNO, NO!"

A bright light flashed in TapL's face where Techno and the Ender Dragon connected, followed by a shroud of dark energy swirling around the two of them, nearly blinding TapL. The ground began to shaking as wind swirled around the sphere of energy, the pillars around them beginning to crumble. TapL ducked to the side as a boulder slammed into the ground next to him, shattering part of the ground into pieces. Around them, the mental domain was collapsing as Techno sealed the deal, light blinding them as the ground fell around them, the islands collapsing in the darkness. The ground disappeared from underneath TapL, and he lunged for the edge only to miss it by a few inches. Terror seized him as he watched the dark energy spread and swallow everything, his body falling into the void.

"AAAAAAAUUGHHHHHHHH!" He screamed, reaching out to where Techno was—only for everything to turn black as he slowly lost his consciousness. _I'm going to die, aren't I?_

Then everything went dark.

_______

When he came to, the sun was shining on his face. Tall grass blew around him, tickling his arms and feet, and everything seemed tranquil and peaceful, as if there were nothing wrong with the world.

That was, had he not gotten up to see the Ender Dragon looming above him, covered in scaly dragon armor with a familiar figure on her back.

"Morning~" Techno sang. Embedded in his crown, now perched atop his head, was an end crystal glowing with power, shrouding him in a purplish glow that glinted off his now-magenta eyes. Vines adorned his armor and a new cape was around his shoulder, now a deep purple. He jumped down from the dragon with ease, using his wings to soften the fall. As he stepped closer, TapL could see the glint of hunger in his eyes, the unnaturalness of his smile. "You're finally awake!"

"T-Techno?" TapL stammered.

"Notice anything different about you?" The prince asked, dropping his crazed smile into a neutral expression. "You don't look too bad yourself."

"What are you—" TapL paused the minute Techno waved his hand, a smoky mirror appearing in thin air. His magic glowed with an unnatural purple light, shining in the sunlight. In the reflection, TapL could see himself clearly, and he nearly fell backwards with a gasp.

All over his body, covering his arms and legs in a protective manner, was a thin bodysuit that TapL hadn't even realized he had been wearing at first. It glimmered with a holographic sheen, pitch-black and scaly like the dragon herself. His sandals had been replaced by armored boots, and the familiar dagger he used now hung across his body in a scabbard. The most shocking thing, however, was the appearance of two new wings on his back—one side brown and the other green, mimicking his mask (which had now disappeared somewhere, but at this point TapL was too shocked to even think about that). He pulled at one of them, finding them durable, and then noticed the subtle but hard plating around his chest, connected to the wings themselves. "What in Father Dan!?"

"They're artificial," Techno reassured. "Made out of something called...purpur? From the End itself. Anyways, I made sure to keep my promise, didn't I?" Techno grinned, waving the mirror out of existence. "Now that the dragon is out of her domain, she can't speak anymore. But she's now under my control—with no mind, no sense of sentience."

"Could it be...?" TapL's heart soared in hopes that Techno was still the same. He followed the prince to the dragon, and Techno effortlessly flew up to the saddle, waving TapL over. "Well? Come on."

"I—I don't know how to fly," TapL reminded him.

"Oh really?" At once, Techno's warm smile became a cold gaze, a hollow chuckle escaping him. "What a pity. I was hoping I wouldn't have to leave you behind, but it seems you're still too incompetent."

TapL's heart sank at the words, reminding himself that the Techno he knew the night before was no longer there, his mind claimed by the Ender Dragon. The dragon herself craned her neck to look at TapL, her eyes thinning as if she were laughing at him, reveling in his despair. Gritting his teeth, TapL stepped back a little before jumping upwards, barely managing to catch himself on the upper half of the dragon's side. As if the wings were responding to him, they naturally flapped and propelled him higher to climb in the saddle behind Techno. He glanced back at them in surprise before turning to Techno. "Where are we going now?"

"Dream," Techno replied, his voice becoming scathing and venomous. "At last...he can no longer run from me. Once he's taken care of, I'll burn Keldavegr into the ground—start it all over again under my rule, so that history will be made anew!"

"What!? That wasn't what you wanted in the first place though," TapL protested. "Techno—"

"Get in my way, and I'll kill you," Techno interrupted cheerfully, which immediately shut TapL up. The messenger bit his lip, still determined to speak, but he held himself back. Instead, he merely nodded, and Techno pulled back on the shackled reins, the Ender Dragon rising in the sky with her great wings.

"Let's go!"

_______

"I just got a letter from Wilbur," Preston announced as he sat down in his chair, eyeing the new lineup of people and watching everyone's expressions. Woofless had finally decided to sit down, on Preston's left and eyeing the curtained windows as if they provided no sense of privacy whatsoever. Pete was studying Ph1lza across from him, expression unreadable. Ph1lza didn't seem to mind the attention, instead mumbling to himself. Lachlan continued to look absolutely devastated, heavy bags under his eyes from lack of rest. Vikk's arm was fully healed now, and he was restlessly drumming his fingers on the table (which was a habit everyone seemed to have nowadays, but no one pointed it out). Bajan was asleep in his chair, completely burnt out.

"A letter? This is war; what's he trying to do? Be all _pompous_ and _proper?_ " Pete grumbled scathingly in a mocking tone. "Or has he decided to surrender? Actually, that would be pretty stupid considering he has the upper hand right now, but still."

"It's for a battle, actually. He wants to send CaptainSparklez and Seepeekay to the Ialosian Plains, and wants us to fight them in a sort of like...formal battle." Preston frowned. "Shortest letter I've ever read in my life."

"You shouldn't get anywhere near the plains, then. We don't want you to go missing again," Ph1lza murmured as if Preston's whole disappearance had merely been a minor inconvenience instead of a huge deal. "Either way, this sounds like something Wilbur would do. I don't know him personally, but he was always a kind of meticulous guy."

"Weird, considering all his previous strategies were all haphazard or caused by us," Vikk noted. "I'm going to place a safe bet that this is some sort of ruse, and that they're probably going to try and come in from the opposite side—the Sólbjǫrgvǫllr forest, most likely."

"What about Lofnheim? What's been going on with them?" Bajan murmured drowsily, slowly awakening from his slumber. "I was dreaming..."

"I got a letter from Tommy, actually...he's in control of the country now. He offered us Lofnheim's services to Hyllifold in exchange for supplies," Preston proposed.

"Why? Aren't they still a vassal state of Keldavegr? And what about Purpled?" Pete crossed his arms, bewildered.

"Not anymore. While we were asleep, Keldavegr set fire to the country. Apparently, these things called 'missiles' were used to destroy numerous cities and important ports. Lofnheim had just started fully recovering from their epidemic, so all the new damage turned it to shambles. We should be wary of these 'missile' things...they could turn the tide of this war very easy. Though Tommy mentioned he also had a two-use missile in Lofnheim, and would be willing to lend it to us in aid." Preston pointed at Miraga Valley on the map spread out in the middle of the table. "Should we ever need to strike, the missile could completely destroy the fort at Miraga Valley. But we shouldn't focus on the missiles right now; we should be considering having Lofnheim with us. And as for Purpled...they actually ran into Dream and Sapnap there."

"What!?" Ph1lza's jaw dropped. "They got _that_ far away without being caught!?"

"Well, it's not entirely impossible...just tedious," Vikk mused as he traced his finger across the ocean. "Your temple is in the north, right? Chances are they went west and just made a huge semicircle around Keldavegr to reach Lofnheim. To avoid being seen, they would have to be _this_ far off." Vikk slid his finger towards the west and off the map. "There's a pretty good chance that they spent the entirety of the past month just getting there. Maybe they were only in Lofnheim for a day."

"Which brings me to the next major point," Preston continued. "According to Tommy, Dream, Sapnap, George, Bad, and Purpled will all join Hyllifold in the war."

Shocked silence filled the room. Everyone turned their heads towards Preston in surprise, Bajan immediately awoken by the sudden news. He was the first to break the silence, coughing into his arm. "Uh...that's good. Great, even!"

"Holy stardust. That is _beyond_ great. With them, we stand even more of a chance to win this war and end it quicker," Vikk cheered, face brightening. "In that case, I'm all in for Lofnheim and Hyllifold being allies. Wilbur probably assumed the missiles were enough to subdue them, but clearly that's not true."

"Wait, wait, wait. How do we even know if Tommy's telling the truth? There's no way all of this just happened in one night," Pete protested, clearly more skeptical of the entire idea. "None of us saw the missiles, did we? It just doesn't make sense."

"To be fair, Lofnheim is pretty far away. It would be hard to hear the missiles, especially if they were only big enough to destroy their largest cities, which....aren't that large, to be honest," Woofless countered. "It's a risky gamble in both ways, but I feel like Tommy wouldn't lie about his brother leaving him."

"But you don't know Tommy, do you?" Pete questioned.

"I do," Ph1lza interrupted, causing both Pete and Woofless to turn to him. "Tommy and I...when I was still an explorer, he was my guide in Lofnheim. Much younger than me, of course, but still excited about everything the island had to offer, and was content with his role even though he wasn't the heir. Preston, am I allowed to see the letter or..."

"Sure," Preston shrugged, sliding the letter toward Ph1lza.

Ph1lza took the letter and unfolded it, skimming through the contents quickly with concentration. "Yeah. Yeah, this sounds real. The handwriting is legitimate, and so is the word choice. Not to mention this scenario isn't so far-fetched. I'll confirm for you that everything must have happened. Tommy wouldn't lie in a scenario like this unless he were desperate."

"What's the verdict? We accept Tommy's offer?" Preston asked.

"I'm in," Bajan immediately replied. Vikk nodded along with Bajan, and Lachlan gave a tentative thumbs-up. Woofless shrugged, not really caring, and Ph1lza merely mumbled "Of course". Pete hesitated, seeing the overwhelming majority unfold in front of him, before sighing and throwing his hands up in the air. "Maybe I just have really bad trust issues, okay?"

"Alright, then I'll get word out back to Tommy...if possible." Preston murmured. "Alright, back to the original topic: the fight at the Ialosian Plains."

"Ruse," Vikk grumbled, and everyone else nodded. "Don't wanna fall for it."

"Either way, it seems like they'll be marching on us—it just depends which location they're coming from, and where we gotta go to intercept them," Pete pointed out. "Either way, we should take a defensive stance...seeing that the last time we tried to go offensive it didn't work out well."

"In my defense, that was my best friend," Lachlan retorted, hackles rising.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. It's the truth, though, and you can't deny that," Pete apologized, and Lachlan relaxed slightly, shoulders slumping at the harsh reality.

"But if the Ialosian Plains is a ruse, where else would they go? The forest? Dyslor, again?" Vikk frowned, contemplating the options.

"Could be a reverse-reverse thing. Maybe they want us to think it's a ruse, and then expect us to go somewhere else, leaving it open for them to travel on," Woofless suggested. "Either way, we have to take a gamble. We can't split the armies, since the armies in Keldavegr will be united."

"Good point," Preston complimented, scrunching his eyebrows. He eyed everyone at the table before noticing Bajan's pale expression. "Bajan, you good?"

"No," the cleric gasped. "I--I can't hear Father Sky anymore."

"What? Come again?" Preston was confused by the statement, not understanding Bajan's distress.

"Ph1lza! Do you hear Father Dan? Like, at all?" Bajan asked quickly, to everyone's surprise. Ph1lza seemed to be baffled by the sudden change in his serene behavior, but he closed his eyes anyway and concentrated. After a moment, the priest shook his head, eyes dark with suspicion. "No...I don't."

"What are you talking about?" Lachlan blinked, confused.

"The gods are always able to communicate through their priests and occasionally clerics. By sheer luck I was bestowed with the ability to hear Father Sky in my head, which brought me to head cleric position anyway...but I can't hear him anymore!" Bajan buried his hands in his hair. "When the gods are no longer consistently speaking, whether it be mumbling or words, that could mean only one thing..."

"Death," Ph1lza filled in. "The gods would be dead. And if Father Dan is no longer speaking, then...the gods are dead. We are now truly alone in this war."

In the midst of the entire council processing that statement, the doors swung open to reveal a messenger, panting hard and in a panic. "Forgive me for interrupting, your Majesty! But our scouts have come back to report that both Keldavegrian armies are coming towards the Ialosian Plains, planning to set up camp!"

"Well, guess that'll solve our issue. Thank you, you are dismissed," Preston rambled quickly, waiting for the messenger to close the door and leave before turning back to rest of the council. "Well, there goes that. No need for a gamble, then. Lachlan, Vikk--get your armies and go to the plains immediately. Hold the line and push them back. If this is a fight they're wanting, then we're going to give them what they asked for."

"Right," Vikk nodded, and he glanced over to Lachlan. "You think you'll be alright?"

"I'll try." Lachlan attempted a smile.

"Good, because you'll need to. Woofless, I need you to write me that letter for Tommy ASAP. Bajan, Ph1lza--you two try to get down to the point of the gods being dead and everything. Pete, you can er...keep an eye out for Purpled, Dream, and the rest of the lot." Preston gritted his teeth. "Meeting adjourned--Let's show them what we got!"

_______

Everything was a blur in his vision, the reddish gravel around him soaking his brightly-colored blood, unnaturally saturated in a cyan color and seeping into the lava lake only inches away from the ledge he was on. In the distance, Sky was dead--body slowly dissolving into light as he left the universe.

The god stepped in front of him, cackling. "Do you see it now? This is the fruit of your decision."

"Everything around us...causes chaos above," Dan choked out, blood dripping from his mouth as he struggled to lift his head from where he laid on the ground, impaled by 2 large black spikes. Time had slowed during their battle in the new environment, and he had seen new forms of biomes he had never seen before--not to mention everything seemed to be harmful to the presence of living things, such as himself--though he doubted he would be alive for much longer.

"The power of my necromancy is impressive, is it not?" The god laughed. "But enough talk. You put up a good fight, but I will get to take the life of another god today. Tell me, Dan--are you ready to die?"

"Yes," Dan replied without hesitation. "Our sacrifice will not be in vain."

"Ha! You're funnier than I thought. Goodbye," the god chuckled out.

Dan could hear the faint swoosh of magic, but it was quickly deafened the moment a shower of spikes stabbed through his body, impaling him and pinning him to the ground. Blood spurted out of his mouth, and he could no longer feel his legs, finding himself dissolving just like Sky had only minutes ago.

With a chuckle, Dan took one last look at the prison-like environment of the new world, and closed his eyes, everything going white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo this dragged out longer than i expected...sick!
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	24. The Undesired Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The generals face off at the Ialosian Plains. Dream and the rest make it to Hyllifold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5000 HITS OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU ALL! LETS KEEP RISING TO THE TOP  
> theres like this ONE song that pushes me to keep writing but its for a chapter much later...ARGHHh
> 
> sorry for the late update btw was a bit busy
> 
> song inspo: fe3h - the long road (rain)

Dark thunderclouds hung over the sky as the last of the sun's rays from the month before disappeared in a cloud of grey. Light rain had plagued the ground the past couple of weeks as Vikk and Lachlan treaded on the murky dirt, boots sloshing in the mud. Around them, forest had given way to plains with tall grass, some trees speckling the distance far ahead, and even farther to their right the cold mountains of Fimbulwinter. The grass reached up to their waists and swayed in the stormy wind, as if there were to be something worse coming ahead. The armies marched on, some chatting amongst themselves but most silent and lost in their own thoughts. 

"Are you alright?" Vikk asked.

"...Yeah." Lachlan's voice was heavy and dejected, his head hung low as he shifted his armor slightly. "I just...don't know how to face Seepeekay."

"I get that," Vikk sympathized, his thoughts trailing to CaptainSparklez. Memories flickered through his mind—murky from growing up, but otherwise still there in the back of his mind, left to be forgotten with the assurance that he would never have to fight a war. He ended up being dead wrong.

He hadn't really met the general properly, but when he was younger he had heard rumors and whispers amongst the townsfolk, of a warrior with wings that would go and drive out the bandits from any town, moving from place to place like a mercenary. No matter whether they were protecting elf or fairy, the warrior themself would kill bandits and rogues without hesitation. Vikk had been enamored by these stories when he was younger, taking in all the rumors as if they were like candy. He came to believe it so much that he ran off one day, pretending to be on a trip when in reality he went looking for the warrior himself.

It was only when he was in the Cliffs of Norregarrd did he finally find someone who could be the possible warrior himself. Long, dark hair with red-tinted goggles, along with furs wrapped around their body, wings protruding from their back. He had always been told when he was younger to never interact with fae, but Vikk wanted to prove to his town that he had seen the warrior for himself.

The figure seemed to be rather small, almost around Vikk's age at the time. He began to doubt himself more and more as he carefully crept up behind the figure. "Uh...excuse me?"

The figure whirled around immediately, all the furs falling off their body from the sudden motion. Without all the thick lining, the figure was much smaller, only slightly bigger than Vikk themself. Their eyes wide, a hand flew to their mouth. "A-An elf!" From his voice, it was evident he was a male.

"What—oh. I'm sorry!" Vikk cried out, throwing his hands up in the air. "I didn't mean to startle you! I don't mean any harm."

"Oh...then why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your parents?" The fairy seemed confused by Vikk being alone in the middle of the forest.

"I came to look for _the_ warrior!" Vikk announced proudly, puffing out his chest. "He drives out bad guys from villages everywhere! Even though he's a fairy, he protects both villages of both species! Isn't that amazing?"

At this, the fairy's face brightened. "Oh, did you mean my father?"

"The warrior is your father!?" Vikk's eyes became huge at the words, excitement rushing over him. "That's so cool! Can I see?"

"See...my father?" The fairy's face became somber, and Vikk noticed it, his excitement ebbing away slightly. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's just...you're an elf. I'm a fairy. We don't mix," the fairy murmured. 

"But that guy can change that, right?" Vikk begged. "I wanna be friends with everybody! Fairies are nice people, right? Like the warrior?"

The fairy stared down at him--partially with pity, partially with sadness. "Look, I can show you my dad another time. But how about you head back to where you came from? We can meet back here tomorrow and I'll show you my dad."

"Oh...okay!" Vikk chirped, falling for it like any small child would. A flicker of guilt flashed in the fairy's eyes, but it disappeared as soon as it came, and the fairy waved him off. "Well then...go along now."

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Vikk called, turning around to leave. Three steps later he stopped, glancing back. "Oh yeah! What's your name?"

The fairy hesitated, considering what to say before finally caving. "CaptainSparklez. Now go!"

Now, he was facing that same fairy on opposite sides of a war, both made generals and both of their memories of each other hazy, but still there. Every time CaptainSparklez had fought him, guilt terrorized his eyes as if he were begging to say _I'm sorry_ over and over again until he couldn't breathe. Vikk wasn't really one for pity, but he could understand the anguish. He, too, had been heartbroken the next day when he returned to find no one there. 

"Do you think CaptainSparklez feels bad about what he did back then? Or do you think he just keeps telling himself he did it for your safety?" Lachlan's voice grounded him back to reality, and Vikk shook himself out of his flashback.

"Honestly? I don't know. I was mad at him for a long time, and I felt resentment for a while. Then I realized I was starting to become like the delusional people in our village--always against fae and always demonizing their characteristics to tinier children like me. After that I couldn't get mad at him anymore. I just hoped I would never have to face him in combat. But of course, I ended up getting drafted as a soldier, and then became a general, and now CaptainSparklez and I are going to be fighting again. If what he said was true, then he must've worked his way up to the top with the prowess and reputation of his father. After all, it seemed like he was a commoner." Vikk sighed. "Unfortunately, this is war, and we're going to have to fight them for the sake of our ideals. It's only been about two months but I just want to go home already. All of this is so tiring."

"More fighting," Lachlan murmured to himself. He pointed ahead, nudging Vikk on the shoulder lightly in order to not accidentally impale his hands on one of his winged pauldrons. "Look up ahead."

Behind them, their armies had stopped--and for good reason, as well. In the front, waving cerulean flags of the colors of Keldavegr, were the other two armies, their respective generals in the foreground. The armies watched them, none of their weapons ready to strike but still in their hands, getting ready to attack if necessary.

"Raise our flags," Vikk called back behind him, and their flagmen heaved up the large and proud sign of the Hyllifoldian's rich saffron color. It waved in the stormy wind as the clouds around them grew darker, a storm threatening to crash and burn above them. "Keep marching, but stop where the grass thins. We'll continue on ourselves from here on out."

"Yes sir!" The army chanted, and everyone continued to march forward, most preparing for a heavy fight whilst others glanced worriedly at the sky above. Vikk and Lachlan paid them no mind, instead heading up towards the middle of the stretch of plain with an ever-increasing gap between them and their own armies. Likewise, CaptainSparklez and Seepeekay came up to meet them as well--the former's wings fluttering in the hair like a hummingbird whilst the other made his way slowly with heavy armor all around his thin body and a heavy glare aimed at Lachlan. Lachlan didn't want to make eye contact, but he had no choice.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence between the two armies as they eyed each other. Vikk glanced over at CaptainSparklez's wing, finding it still slightly red and wrapped with bandages despite what he had done in their first battle. His eyes grew wide at the slight, and CaptainSparklez glanced away. Meanwhile, Lachlan seemed to be on the verge of crying, Seepeekay's jaw clenched tightly as if betraying his emotional nature and forcing himself to fight. There was a flash of lightning too close for their comfort, followed by the loud clap of a thunderstorm.

"Generals of Hyllifold," CaptainSparklez began, before throwing away whatever script he had in mind. "Are you prepared to die?"

"I don't care about whether or not I'm prepared to die," Lachlan spoke before Vikk. "Whether I come out of this battle alive or dead, I'll make sure Hyllifold gets the victory."

"Then that's where your resolve ends," Seepeekay gritted out, as if he wanted to break down again but was refusing to do so.

Vikk had already turned away, heading towards the armies. Seeing the general's nonchalance, CaptainSparklez scoffed and turned the other way, albeit with a glint of guilt in his expression. Seepeekay went back as well, and Lachlan took the time to get to his pegasus and hop onto it. Vikk boarded Jerome, petting his hide before securing his helmet.

Silence between the two armies, only interrupted by the occasional thunder, was deafening. Everyone waited in tense silence, holding their breath, waiting for an opportunity.

"For the future!" Vikk screeched, pointing his halberd to the sky as lightning crashed around the armies, taking to the skies as his army charged forward. Likewise, Seepeekay reacted immediately, yelling something incomprehensible over the wind and pointing his lance at Vikk before he and his army moved forward to meet them. 

Lachlan only waited a moment longer before twirling his axe. "LET'S GO!" he yelled, rearing his pegasus back before rushing down the plains. CaptainSparklez was the last to move his army, drawing his sword and flying into the air to meet Lachlan's battalion of pegasus knights.

The armies roared along with the storm as both sides clashed together, swords and lances and all sorts of weapons flying about. The wind around them disturbed a good number of spells, sending them veering off in the wrong directions as rain began to pour down, making the plains more of a marsh as mud began to run and pull at everyone's feet. 

Vikk himself found himself face-to-face with Seepeekay, twirling his lance and almost _relieved_ at the fact that he was fighting Vikk, and not Lachlan. Their lances drove against each other as Vikk slid past him, turning his wyvern around and preparing a Thunder spell. Seepeekay saw it coming, immediately taking off the ground despite his heavy armor and narrowly missing the thunderbolt that pierced the ground where he had once been moments later. A javelin of thorns and tree branches materialized into his hand--a form of nature magic normal fairies wielded--and he thrust it into the air. Vikk dodged it with ease, only for the javelin to impale itself into one of his soldiers behind him. He mumbled a quick apology to Father Sky (even though the god was dead as confirmed by Bajan) before going in again.

Lachlan in the meantime was having trouble against CaptainSparklez, his axe not faring as well against the fairy's sword. Every time he brought down his axe, the sword would easily push it out of the way by the hilt, and a spell would slam into his face, tearing at his skin and armor and causing him to bleed. He backed off more, on the defensive as he drank down an emergency vulnerary, smashing the empty glass bottle onto a random fairy soldier afterwards before conjuring a Rexcalibur spell to attempt to freeze CaptainSparklez in place. He wanted to glance over at Seepeekay, see how his ex-friend was doing, but he knew if he lost focus he would spell his own doom.

A random strike of lightning caused the generals to switch enemies, the blinding light having confused them momentarily. The thunderstorm continued on around them, ripping away at grass and the forests nearby. Vikk found himself clashing against CaptainSparklez again, and as he stared down at the fairy from his wyvern, he could see the evident guilt in the general's eyes.

"It _was_ you, wasn't it? You're the same CaptainSparklez I met all those years ago," Vikk questioned.

"Don't look at me like that," CaptainSparklez seethed, pushing Vikk away with his sword and casting an Excalibur spell, the wind missing him only by inches thanks to the other natural wind that was messing up everyone's spells. "I already told you the truth. Both species are just never meant to mix."

"Preston's willing to make diplomatic connections! It's Wilbur that's the problem here," Vikk protested, hacking away at other soldiers around him as he yelled over the storm.

"Don't antagonize His Majesty! You haven't seen--" CaptainSparklez paused, clamping a hand over his mouth before shaking his head. "No, nothing."

"Seen what? Tell me!" Vikk spat, casting a Cutting Gale to silence the one fairy above him, constantly trying to rain down fire spells upon him.

"Over my dead body," CaptainSparklez grumbled, and the two generals met again.

Seepeekay's shoulders sagged from the constant weight of fighting, his expression forlorn as he consistently blocked Lachlan's attacks with his giant shield. "More and more fighting...will this ever end?"

"Come on, Seepeekay!" Lachlan yelled, trying to encourage his friend despite their current situation. "We made a promise, didn't we? To become the strongest duo, right? So prove it to me that you have become like that!"

Seepeekay's lance was heavy in his hand, but he raised it anyway, his armor clanking on the ground as he lifted himself into the air with effort, meeting Lachlan in the sky as the two reluctantly danced. Lance met axe, both slowly slashing and tearing at each other's bodies, lightning striking the ground all around them and threatening to impale one of their bodies if they got unlucky enough.

Neither side seemed to be winning, both constantly pushing back and forth. The same went for the generals, neither giving in to one another and both being evenly matched no matter who they were going against. Blood poured and stained the fields, both sides losing troops.

The storm continued to get worse and worse, and CaptainSparklez and Seepeekay both ended up grouping together, coming to a silent agreement. Then, with a wave of his hand, CaptainSparklez called out for a retreat, his voice ringing through the field.

"This isn't over," He seethed at the elf generals. "We'll resume this battle tomorrow at dawn."

"Good to me," Vikk mumbled as he turned back to the elf armies. "Fall back! We'll continue this another time!"

"What? You can't just _pause_ a battle--" One elf was about to speak up in protest, but she was interrupted by a lightning bolt striking a few feet away, causing her to yelp.

"The storm's too strong for both of us! Let's just go!" Lachlan called, and both sides of the war parted their ways--but only temporarily. Thunder rumbled as dark clouds hung over the battlefield, the blood of dead bodies soaking into the dirt.

_______

"Are we close?" Purpled asked, panting hard as rain pattered down onto his skin, dark clouds in the distance as medium gray hung over the group's heads, effectively soaking them all.

"We should be," Sapnap grumbled. "It's too wet out here."

"The castle is still a long way off--we've just entered the Sólbjǫrgvǫllr forest, after all. If we're lucky we could run into a village; hopefully be able to stay a night or something," George reasoned. "I don't think they'd accept someone like me though, especially with this eye of ender on my forehead."

"They'd recognize me too easily," Dream muttered as he felt his diadem. "Maybe I should switch to the mask once we get to the castle..."

"Hey! There's someone watching us," Bad called out, alerting every single one of them. Immediately, all of them drew weapons--Purpled unshackling his spiked rings. There was a moment of tense silence, only interrupted by the rain, before a new voice spoke out: "Not bad."

"Who's there!?" Dream demanded, whirling his bow toward the direction of the voice. "Show yourself!"

"Chill, will ya? I was sent by the king himself." A figure appeared from the trees, landing on the slightly-soft dirt. A green mask was wrapped around his mouth, belts around his body holding potions and daggers, with an elytra on his back. "Took me a moment to recognize you, but now I know who y'all are."

"And who might you be?" Bad questioned.

"I'm PeteZahHutt, just Pete for short. Renowned mercenary, excellent assasin, and now part of Preston's war council or court or something." Pete waved his hand. "He's expecting you guys, thanks to a letter from Tommy."

"Tommy? What's he planning?" Purpled interrupted, curious and also worried.

"I'll tell you once we get to the castle. It's not too safe out here--there's a huge storm where a battle is supposed to take place, and things are getting especially dire here."

"How can we trust you?" George asked.

"You're one to say that question," Pete retorted, and George looked away with embarrassment. "But one of you should recognize me at least," he added, turning to Sapnap.

Sapnap stared at Pete for a little while longer before snapping his fingers in realization. "That's who you are! I remember you. I don't think we've worked together before, but we did compete for spots as some of the best mercenaries around--even though I technically wasn't one."

"That's right," Pete mumbled. "So, ready to go?"

"Let's not waste time then," Dream asserted. "Come on!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just realized ive been spelling seapeekays name wrong this whole time FML
> 
> also might not be able to update for a bit bc im on vacation sorry :(
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	25. The Hand of Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vikk and Lachlan prepare a strategy and face the generals again. Dream and Preston meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK FROM VACATION AND 5400 HITS? LETS GOOOOOOOOOO POG  
> THIS CHAPTER WAS FUN TO WRITE EVEN THO ITS FILLER IDK WHY
> 
> IM RUNNING OUT OF TIME TO WRITE MY FAMILY IS TRYING TO SABOTAGE MY WRITING YET AGAIN. CAN’T CATCH A BREAK HUH UGH
> 
> song inspo: fe awakening - dont speak her name! (honestly one of the best tracks, and depressing asf)

As the storm cleared and night fell over the elf camp on the outskirts of the plains, many of the soldiers were in (surprisingly) high spirits, able to confidently agree they could at least evenly match the fae, and were talking amongst themselves animately around campfires as many playfully sparred with each other and ate dinner. There was peace, but only temporarily--tomorrow at the crack of dawn, everything would resume.

Unlike the majority of his army, Lachlan had dismissed everyone to bed in a somber mood, advising many to get a good night's sleep before secluding himself in his private tent, burying his face in his hands as he collapsed at his desk. He had already cried out his misery a long time ago, but even then he still felt as if he could cry for the rest of his life.

His tent flapped open and he rose up, turning around to immediately command the intruding elf to get out. His words died out in his throat, however, when he saw Vikk's face instead. "Oh," he croaked out.

"You okay?" Vikk asked as he closed the tent flap behind him, joining his best friend at his desk.

"As good as one can get during a war, which is...not so great," Lachlan admitted. "What about you?"

"Disheartened," Vikk responded, his shoulders slumping. "I've been thinking about what CaptainSparklez said to me."

"He talked to you during the fight?" Lachlan asked.

"I was trying to tell him that my idea wasn't so much of a lost cause as he thought it was. That it was possible for both fairies and elves to live in harmony. But he wouldn't take it...not to mention he said something about Wilbur."

"Said something about Wilbur?" Lachlan blinked, confused.

"As in, something was wrong with Wilbur. He almost said it, but then he covered his mouth and shut up, and he wouldn't tell me what was going on." Vikk frowned, contemplating. "There might be more going on behind the scenes than we know in Keldavegr...maybe something is happening to Wilbur that's causing him to continue this war?"

"Wouldn't be surprised if that was the actual issue," Lachlan grumbled. "According to Preston, the guy seemed off his rocker already the minute he declared war."

"Maybe it's getting worse, and that's why the missiles were directed at Lofnheim--he could be getting impatient, which isn't good," Vikk suggested worriedly. "At the same time though, it could lead to his downfall, which would be great for us."

"True, but still..." Lachlan sighed. "I just have this worrying feeling that out of all of us four generals, only some of us will come out of this alive."

Vikk fell silent at Lachlan's words, wanting to comfort him but at the same time unable to disagree with what he was saying. "Let's make sure that the ones who come out alive are us...and let's just pray that we don't have to be the ones that take out CaptainSparklez and Seapeekay."

"Seapeekay..." Lachlan mused, his heart shattering into pieces. "It looks like this war is taking even more of a toll on him than I thought. He seemed ready to give up."

"It doesn't seem like CaptainSparklez wanted to fight, either. This is all Wilbur's fault," Vikk mumbled angrily. "If only he weren't so power-hungry...if he would just _sit down_ and try to talk with Preston we could have a much more peaceful way of interaction."

"To be fair, harboring war criminals for 2,000 years is a pretty good way to give Hyllifold a terrible reputation in Keldavegr. But there really isn't any need to start a whole war and drag everyone into that," Lachlan pointed out. "I don't know. We really shouldn't be focusing on that right now. We need to win tomorrow."

"Right," Vikk agreed. "Do you have any strategies for tomorrow?"

"Preston still wants us to stay on the defensive. I just want there to be no clear successor, to be honest. Get the objective over with. If we secure a victory, that's great but that only means the next battle will be even tougher than the last." Lachlan leaned back in his seat.

"Oh come on. We can’t be going into that mindset now," Vikk complained, much to Lachlan's reluctance. "Here, how about..."

The two generals discussed battle tactics for the rest of the night, making note of the plain's terrain and deciding where different battalions would be located. By the time they had finished discussing everything and had ran down everything with their armies, the sun was about to rise again, and both were unable to get even a small moment of respite as they roused up everyone, putting on their armor and tending to their mounts.

"Sleep well, Jerome?" Vikk asked as he rubbed the wyvern's head, strapping on a helmet. Jerome let out a low rumble in response, and Vikk gave him a soft smile. "Don't worry, I'll make sure we win this one as well, and soon we can go back to just leisurely flying above the cities."

"Ready to go?" Lachlan asked, having already mounted his pegasus.

"As ready as one can get, I suppose," Vikk murmured, rubbing his eyes from lack of sleep as he hopped onto his wyvern. "Let's hope my last moments don't end up being because I pulled an all-nighter, right?"

_______

"This is already going against my favor," Vikk grumbled as he swooped down to fell a fairy archer, slicing their bow in two as he examined the battlefield.

The storm had somehow come back for an encore, raging across the marsh-like plains and causing the grass to ripple as if a ghost had passed through. As lightning rained down on the fields, screams littered the air as many elves and fae alike continued to fall, their blood spilling onto the ground. The elf calvary were having extra trouble in the grass, their movement limited as they continued the hit-and-run strategy both generals had suggested the night before. Meanwhile, the pegasus knights continued to hack away at ranged foes, quickly diving in to take them out before escaping in the cover of the storm. Both sides rammed into each other like large boulders smashing into each other, the impact being the battle going on.

Vikk had nearly fallen asleep at first, but he was soon fueled by the adrenaline that came with the fear of death, and he focused on making sure to reduce the amount of forces the Keldavegr side had. Compared to yesterday, he and Lachlan had planned to avoid the other two generals as best as possible, leaving them for last as having a proper battle with them would most likely be interrupted by outside forces. The goal was to weaken as well as hold a defensive line, which was why all the heavy-armor soldiers were in the back.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lachlan deftly avoid CaptainSparklez from tailing him, instead diving to the left and dismounting his pegasus in one quick sweep before running towards the nearest fairy and bringing down his axe on them. Seapeekay was lost in the sea of fighters, but Vikk was hoping the general wouldn't come into view anytime soon.

A fairy rushed at him and Vikk immediately shielded with his silver shield, metal scraping against metal as Vikk quickly used his halberd in a riposte. The spear nailed the fairy through a chink in their armor, impaling them and causing them to drop their weapon to the ground before falling completely. Blood splattered all over Vikk, but it was unfortunately nothing to him as the fairy had become just another of many lives he had taken. Lives that included people's families, their passions and achievements, their legacies. All ended with a swift strike to their important organs.

"Snap out of it," he muttered to himself, diving down back into the heat of battle in an attempt to distract himself. As he bravely flew into a group of fairies, he refused to see the horrors he was doing, almost closing his eyes as Jerome roared and mauled fairies that stood in his path.

By the time he had finally come to, there was only a circle of dead fae around him, his wyvern asserting his dominance by splattering the pool of blood he was in everywhere, blood and cuts and bruises dotted across his armor and skin. His halberd dripped with crimson, his shield worn from blocking so many spells. Pulling out a golden apple, Vikk chowed it down immediately before turning around and continuing his massacre, not wanting to stay where he was any longer as lightning crackled where he had once been.

Unfortunately, it seemed like despite all he had done there had been no extra edge given to Hyllifold. As many numbers as he had taken, Seapeekay and CaptainSparklez managed to do the same, dead elves piling around them like trophies. No matter how much effort both sides were putting in, the tide of the battle didn't seem to change at all. Already Vikk was losing his rush of energy, tiredness seeping over him, and he tried to force himself to stay awake, to continue to fight even though every swing he took only made his halberd heavier.

"This is pointless!" CaptainSparklez yelled, snapping Vikk out of his daze. "Fall back and retreat!"

"What?" A look of surprise crossed over Vikk's face as he saw the fairies turn around, the remainder of their armies retreating back into the woods.

"Should we go after them?" Lachlan gasped, landing down next to Vikk.

"No," Vikk murmured, shaking his head. "We've lost too many lives today."

As both generals turned around, Vikk suddenly found himself face to face with fhe tip of a lance, ready to stab him right through the head. At the handle itself was Seapeekay, an unreadable expression on his face as he glanced over at Lachlan, who had drawn his axe and was preparing to strike.

Right before Lachlan could totally rush in and try to fight the fairy general, Seapeekay lowered his lance, turning away. "Goodbye, Lachlan," he murmured quietly. "When we meet again...I'll make sure one of us breathes our last."

With that vague sentence, the fairy took off, trailing behind the rest of the other fae as they headed back towards the forest. Vikk watched him go, before looking at Lachlan to make sure the general was alright, and then he addressed the rest of the army.

"There is no victory today," he announced. "Let's take care of the fallen, and give them our respects. We head back to Hyllifold as soon as possible."

_______

"Your Majesty," the guard announced. "They're here."

Preston turned around, Woofless next to him doing the same, as five figures stepped into the throne room. Standing in the middle of them all was who Preston presumed was Dream himself, blond hair nearly falling in his face along with the precious diadem of his ancestor.

Next to him was Sapnap, which Preston had to admit still looked pretty good even after being stuck in a cabin for two millenia. The general hadn't aged a day, his face still much like the face he had when he had been a general during the War Between Heaven and Earth.

Much of an enigma himself was George, on Dream's left side and with butterfly-like wings of blue and purple hues. He didn't have the Keldavegrian standard clothing, instead wearing his own style, and his trident glowed with an unearthly power. The eye of ender glinted on his forehead, indiciating his criminal status.

Preston observed Bad for a moment, eyeing the human's features to see what was different about humans and elves. Bad seemed to have a slightly smaller physique, along with rounded ears instead of pointed ones. His clothing was unusual even though it was representative of Lofnheim traditional wear, and on his back was a staff, two gauntlets hanging off his belt.

Purpled donned the Lofnheim royal regalia, his many anklets and bracelets shaking as he shifted slightly, the gold and silver clanking against each other. He shifted his dancer rings as he held out a hand to shake. "Purpled, ruler of Lofnheim. Pleased to meet you."

"Glad you came," Preston reciprocated, shaking his hand back firmly. He turned back to the other four, also extending his hand. "Dream, correct?"

Dream stood there for a moment, contemplating whether or not to actually take the hand. After a moment's consideration, the elf shook his head. "I'm not one for formalities."

"That's alright," Preston reassured as he lowered his hand, although he was secretly disappointed. "I'm glad you all and Purpled have come to help. Hyllifold is indebted for your assistance."

"Dude, cut the fancy talk. It's fine...relax," Sapnap interrupted. "Besides, it's not like we're going to be...joining _joining_ per se. We'll fight with you, but we're our own group."

"Oh, that's alright. Purpled?" Preston asked.

"Well, I'll be glad to help and fight by your side, though I guess my case is the same along with these guys. I'll stay as a solo kind of person, but I'll fight by your side as long as we draft some sort of agreement that after this Lofnheim will gain independence."

"Right, right," Preston agreed. "Do you want to go and talk about it privately now, or..."

"Now will be alright," Purpled admitted. "If that isn't too much of a hassle, that is."

"Oh, no, not at all," Preston chuckled, and eventually the two country leaders were hitting it off, leaving the throne room as they both talked animatedly with each other. As Dream and the rest watched him go, Woofless sighed. "Sorry for the not-so-welcoming welcome. That's typical Preston for you. I'm Woofless, Preston's retainer."

"Good meeting you," Bad replied cheerfully.

"For a welcome, we have places for you to stay in the castle. A good majority of it is barren now, thanks to the war and all that." Woofless sighed, glancing out at the window. "There's plenty of rooms for you to choose from. Only people in here are the war council and like, maybe five guards."

"That would be nice," George muttered to himself dreamily. "I never got a chance to stay in a proper home..."

Dream glanced over at George with slight concern, but he was quickly interrupted as his attention was called for with a clear of Woofless' throat. "Before we get there though...Pete wanted to talk to you, Dream. Privately, I might add. You'll have to knock on his door at the top floor around five."

"Why me?" Dream asked dejectedly.

"It's private, according to what he said. Said he was going to take you to a tavern or some sort of thing—which is ridiculous in my opinion, because everyone aboveground is evacuated. But it should be alright; he's a good person. Just answer it," Woofless insisted.

"Well, you're the technical boss," Sapnap shrugged, throwing his hands in the air. After a moment, he glanced over to Bad, whispering. "Aboveground?"

"No clue what he's talking about," Bad replied.

"Enough chitchat," Woofless interrupted with a laugh. "Let's get you settled in, how about that?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anyones worried about the controversy happening on twitter and the ccs in this fic, im keeping those guys separate. this is their yt personalities, not the actual people as a whole. im keeping this fic out of the drama
> 
> besides a6d is dead already so
> 
> might not be able to update as much bc im starting school soon and my family hates me ugh, sorry guys :(
> 
> update: i wrote the last part in a daze at 2am so i fixed it, mb


	26. Dusk and Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Pete talk in a tavern. Techno and TapL have a fall-out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOAH 5700 HITS? THANK YOU FOR READING THIS!!
> 
> this chapter was hit by inspiration-central so i got this done a lot faster than i expected. very happy :D  
> also I FINALLY decided to type philza instead of ph1lza lol i really need to stop doing that
> 
> song inspo: fe fate - dusk falls (calm)  
> (also, i've been listening to the fates soundtrack and everything slaps? goddamn now if only the game itself had a good story fates would've been awesome)

"Where are we going?" Dream asked as he followed Pete alongside the Njorun River, taking the time to glance around and see what had changed. In the past two millennia, Hyllifold had went from a sparse savanna into a lush forest, the parched grass from long ago having turned into a plethora of mossy patches. The acacia trees from long ago were now joined by those of oak and birch, creating a colorful jumble of forestry. The river itself seemed to have gotten bigger, cod and salmon flowing through the clear waters. Sunlight barely filtered through the canopies of leaves above, and Dream silently thanked the fact that he had been living in a forest for so long; otherwise, he would've thought that the kingdom was much too dark for his liking. 

"You'll see. Though I expect you to keep quiet about it...after all, we're going to be coming across people that don't exactly have the best reputation," Pete replied ominously, and Dream slowly began to get a vague sense of where he was going.

"Criminals?" He whispered.

"Plenty," Pete answered. "Not war criminals, though. Smaller things. Thieves, arsonists, one-time murderers. Just follow me, and ignore a good bunch of them."

Dream didn't know how exactly to respond to that, so he stayed quiet as Pete went further down the river before stopping at the base of a tree trunk. Pete shuffled around the side of the trunk, feeling along the roots for an opening before finally sliding aside a piece of the bark with ease. The bark itself turned out to be metal disguised with illusion magic, and in the trunk was a dirt staircase spiraling down into the ground below. Dream stared at it, worry gnawing at his stomach. "Uh...are you sure about this?"

"Why so nervous? On my watch, no one down here's gonna hurt you," Pete chuckled as he slid into the miniscule opening, climbing his way down the stairs. "Come on, before the door closes."

Dream followed Pete into the cramped entryway, the last shred of light from outside disappearing immediately as the door closed behind him. As Dream blindly followed Pete down the dirt staircase, the space became less clustered and soon Dream was able to stand on the now-wooden staircase lit by lanterns on the sides of the dirt walls. Soon, Pete arrived at an oak door, and he swung it open, Dream following him inside.

The door led to a large, widely-spaced square area with multiple floors and hallways leading to different staircases. At the bottom, shops and taverns were embedded into the walls, along with a small fountain in the middle connected to a river running belowground. On the sides of the walls across from each other were staircases leading up to different floors where more merchants and residential areas were. Torches and lanterns lit up all the walls around them.

Some people were out and about, passing from shop to shop. Others were playing card games, trading silver and gold as gambles through their bets. One was already in line to get water from the river as multiple guards here and there moved along the aisle.

One guard immediately stepped in front of Pete, eyeing him through his thick helmet, before nodding and relaxing from his rigid stance. He took his helmet off to reveal dark blue hair and strangely enough, only one eye instead of two. "Pete! Good to see you!"

"Hey, Krinios," Pete replied lazily. "Brought a friend with me today. Gonna grab a drink and then gotta go back."

"Short visit? Must be a high-paying job," Krinios commented. "Who's the cilent?"

"The king," Pete spoke, and Krinio's eye widened at the name. Pete immediately brought a finger to his lips, smirking. "Don't worry, I'm not here on his behalf. Things aboveground are a bit...wild, which is an understatement but I don't want everyone here going up in a panic so please stay quiet."

"Okay," Krinios mumbled, eye still wide. He then turned his attention to Dream, curiosity sparked. "Who are you?"

"I'm Dream," Dream replied, confident that no one would know him so as long as he didn't expose himself as Sapnap's brother. "This might come off a bit rude but--"

"My eye? I get that question a lot, don't worry," Krinios interrupted, laughing. "Got in trouble and got a curse put on me, so I'm stuck with one eye until the end of my days. Was brought down here in the Shaft, so I'm here now."

"The Shaft?" Dream questioned.

"That's the name of this place. They have an agreement with Preston to leave each other alone, so as long as they don't cause trouble. It's a haven for many criminals that are content with giving up the crime life, but don't want to turn themselves in," Pete explained. "I come down here a lot because mercenary hire goes on, and I don't mind taking side jobs of getting supplies for a bit of extra money."

"Oh..." Dream frowned. "How long have they existed for?"

"Not that long," Pete assured. "Definitely not during your time."

"Your time?" Krinios tilted his head in confusion.

"Don't worry about it," Pete filled in quickly. "I'll see you around Krinios!"

"Huh? Oh--uh, bye?" Krinios waved hesitantly as Pete swiftly pulled Dream away and towards the nearest tavern, pushing through the swinging doors with ease as a small jingle alerted the bartender of new customers. 

"Oi, Fundy!" Pete called out, sliding onto one of the wooden stools with ease. Dream climbed onto the one next to him, slightly uncomfortable with the sudden change in environment. The tavern was made of dark andesite, lanterns hanging from chains on the walls as some residents sat at tables nearby drinking beverages Dream had never seen before and eating food he had never seen before either. The bar they were at was made of polished diorite, and the wall contained a countless number of different bottles.

Behind the counter, another man popped up from below with bright, shaggy orange hair and sharp amber eyes to match. He had on a cap and a black jacket, as well as a nametag indicating he was "Fundy" indeed. The most interesting part, however, was the appearance of two fox ears poking through his hair. Dream couldn't remember the last time he had seen a fox, but he was sure that foxes were uncommon in the Hyllifold kingdom thanks to the arid climate. Perhaps more had accumulated over time as the savanna had transformed into the forest.

"Hey Pete. The usual? I see you've brought a friend," Fundy noted, his voice significantly less deeper than Dream had imagined.

"Yep indeed. Actually, can you get Dream here a light beer? No food this time; we're not gonna be here for too long," Pete added.

"Got it. Important business?" Fundy asked as he got to work.

"Well, don't wanna freak anyone here out, but..." Pete lowered his voice enough so that only Dream and Fundy could hear it. "There's a war aboveground."

"Oh," Fundy responded, humming as if it were a minor inconvenience. "Against who?"

"Keldavegr." Pete thanked Fundy quickly as the bartender slid over a glass of dark liquid to him, and then one of a lighter, more amber color to Dream—both foaming at the top. "Beer. They invented this only a couple of centuries ago."

Dream grasped the glass and tentatively took a sip of the liquid. The beer was bitter and danced on his tongue like bubbles, and he swallowed it cautiously. It wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't really his taste. He set the glass down, eyeing Fundy's peculiar ears. "How did you get the fox ears?"

"Did you meet Krinios?" Fundy asked, and Dream nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty much the same story. Got cursed, and now my ears are up here. We were together, actually, when it happened. But don't worry about me—I'm content with my life here, and I love working at this tavern." Fundy grinned, stretching leisurely. "Anyways, what's your story?"

"My story?" Dream frowned.

"Yeah. People often go to taverns and spill all of their troubles to people like me. Of course, I don't tell a single soul anyone else's secrets. Privacy and respect is key," Fundy assured. "Pete brought you down here, so...there must be something up."

"Oh, uh..." Dream hesitated, unsure of where to start. After considering for a moment, he glanced over to Pete, and the mercenary nodded encouragingly. "Well...how good are you with history?"

"Competent," Fundy answered, interest sparked. "Why?"

"Then I'll assume you know Sapnap," Dream assumed. 

Fundy quirked an eyebrow, but didn't deny the statement. "The Dayslayer? What about him?"

"I'm his half-brother. Same mom, different dads." Dream took another sip of the beer, furrowing his eyebrows with concern as he saw Pete down his own quickly from the corner of his eye. Fundy processed his words for a moment, before glancing at the beer glass. "Did I give you the wrong beer? Are you drunk or something?"

"I'm perfectly sober," Dream argued. "I have this curse on me, and now I'm immortal and also being hunted down by Keldavegr along with my brother—who's still alive, by the way—and right now, I'm here to stop this war."

"A curse? What kind?" Fundy's ear twitched.

Dream extended his arm, exposing his left forearm and the sigil etched in his skin. Philza's magic was still embedded in the sigil, glowing a faint green mixed with the subdued purple light. Fundy stared at it for a moment longer, before his eyes widened and he stepped back. "I recognize this!"

"You do?" Dream's hopes rose slightly.

"I mean...I don't _fully_ recognize it. But it's too familiar to..." Fundy frowned, contemplating, before snapping his fingers in realization. "It's like that theory that was going around a while back!"

"What theory?" Pete interrupted. "I've been pretty out of the loop down here thanks to the war."

"It's pretty extensive," Fundy started. "Long, long ago, weird things began to pop up in places they weren't supposed to be in. Glowing mushrooms. Twisting vines. Everything radiated either a ghastly or chaotic energy, and people began to become concerned. Many researched these phenomenons, but no one could quite agree on what caused them, or where they even came from. Some suspected the ocean, and that ended up leading into a mob mentality that you know...basically got rid of _those guys_. Anyways, most of that strange stuff has died out now, and a lot of people have just left it alone—at least, aboveground. Down here in the Shaft, there's always this lingering air that something is below us...something way more sinister and chaotic, something related to the stuff that we saw aboveground. It's why we're not that far down belowground—we're worried there'll be more things we don't want to see below us."

"What does that have to do with my curse?" Dream asked.

"The magic feels the same as the one that we can somewhat feel vibrating through the ground below us," Fundy reiterated. "It's not totally impossible to get out of you, but it's been inside of you for so long that it's almost completely out of control. The weird part is the magic that's keeping it from collapsing in on you—I never thought I'd get to see this in person."

Dream vaguely recalled what Philza had told him down at his temple. "You said that some people suspected the ocean?"

"It's a touchy topic, since there's really no justification for what the elves and fairies did," Pete jumped in. "But there used to be three species in Osiadira—the fae at the west, the elves at the east, and the sirens around the shores. When the weird things began to pop up, everyone blamed it on the sirens because...well, fairies can't swim very well, and elves can't hold their breath for long, so no one really knows what's down there. After that, people began to massacre the sirens...a whole mass genocide of the entire species. There were very few left by the time people broke out of their mob mentality, and all the sirens went into hiding. That's where the unspoken rule of never leaving the continent came from."

"But this looks like siren magic on your arm," Fundy mentioned. "Did you meet a siren?"

"Well...a half-siren, I guess," Dream answered hesitantly. "He ended up being on Keldavegr's side, but before that he put a binding spell to keep my curse from killing me."

"Oh, Philza?" Pete asked, to Dream's astonishment.

"You know him?" Dream questioned.

"Yeah, he's with us now," Pete dropped casually, Dream inhaling sharply with surprise. "We figured out you went to see him because of this old priest that told us about you guys, so I fetched him and now he's on Hyllifold's side—against his will, of course, but he's slowly warming up. I _knew_ there was something about him that was strange...being a half-siren makes so much sense."

"Huh." Fundy laughed, nearly doubling over. "Never thought I'd get _this_ entertained today! Good luck with your war, though. That means things might get rougher down here."

"Are you not going to fight?" Dream asked, feeling strangely irritated that Fundy was going to do nothing. He drummed his fingers on the marble in agitation.

"Well, Hyllifold and the Shaft don't get involved in each other's affairs. Unless this war directly affects us, no reason to join in." Fundy lazed around the counter, and Dream could see the tip of a fox tail perk up into the air. "So yeah...don't expect us to join you guys in the cause. Besides, we're almost an anarchy here. We don't have a leader, really. If you want us to band together and fight, it's gonna take a while."

"But—" Dream stopped as Pete gripped his shoulder, shaking his head. Dream's voice faltered out, and he sighed. "Alright, fine. I guess I can't convince you, anyway. That's not my job," he mumbled to himself.

"Were you jealous?" Fundy suddenly pried, a smirk playing at the edge of his lip. Dream tensed, and Fundy's grin only grew wider. "I mean, I'm just gonna assume real quick, but you probably weren't a general, and Sapnap was. Were you angry about his position? I mean, if I recall correctly, Sapnap's dad was one of the royals, and you said you had different dads, so you must've had commoner blood if you weren't promoted to general, or erased from history since I've never heard of you before anyway—"

Dream slammed his hand down on the counter, rattling the untouched beer glass next to him. A couple of drops spilled out from the rim, but Fundy seemed completely unfazed. Pete's grip on Dream's shoulder tightened, but Dream brushed him off. For some reason, he was highly tempted to punch the smirking bartender in the face. He wanted to prove he wasn't so insecure.

He raised a hand—and lowered it. Fundy rose from where he had been leaning on the counter, his smile dropping back to a neutral expression. Dream rubbed his temples, stressed about his rationale. _I need to calm down,_ he thought to himself. _If I hit Fundy, that just proves I'm even more insecure than I thought...Father Sky, what is wrong with me?_

"Well, I won't bash you for it," Fundy finally spoke, easing the tension slightly. "But you know, if you stay hung up on those kinds of things, you'll never be able to move on. I used to lament about my past ruining my life, and the curse that brought me down here. But I moved on, and I'm happier here. Maybe you're not happy down here, but you can find your happiness elsewhere."

"We should go up," Pete murmured. "It's getting late."

"Of course," Fundy agreed. "The tab?"

"On me," Pete answered curtly, sliding over a few silver coins. Fundy tallied them off, humming pleasantly as he took the money. Pete got off his seat, waving slightly towards Fundy. "I'll see you around."

"Good luck with the war," Fundy replied cheerfully. "Come back when it's over!"

"Will do," Pete assured as he slid the doors open, stepping back out into the main room with Dream trailing behind him. As soon as the sliding doors went back to normal again, Dream finally relaxed, and Pete glanced back at him. "You alright?"

"I'm fine. Why did you bring me down here, anyway?" Dream asked. "Woofless mentioned that you had your own reasons."

Pete stopped moving, hesitant on saying anything to Dream. After a moment, he shook his head. "Truth be told, I was hoping to loosen you up a little. Get you used to the new environment. But I suppose it didn't do much good. Sorry about that."

"It's...fine." Dream was suspicious, but he was too worn out to delve into it, and the beer he had drank was making him slightly sick to his stomach. Following Pete, the two reached the exit of the Shaft, returning to the ground above.

_______

"Why are we here?" TapL implored as Techno settled onto the shoreline of the archipelago, sliding off the dragon with ease. TapL followed him, nervous as he continuously scratched at his new wings, the feeling itchy and foreign.

"Do you see it?" Techno asked.

"What are you—" TapL's voice trailed away as he saw the plumes of smoke piling out into the clouds in the distance. They were larger than anything he had ever seen, clouding the entire area ahead in a dark cloud of ash and dust. If he strained his ears, he could almost hear screams, and he immediately decided he didn't want to listen to it any longer. He turned his attention to Techno instead, who was watching the entire thing with a _smile._ It made TapL feel sick, his head spinning.

"Just what I needed," Techno cackled. "Lofnheim in ashes!"

"Techno, what the fuck is wrong with you!?" TapL protested, and the prince whirled around so quickly TapL nearly missed it in a blink. His eyes widened as the fairy drew his axe, hefting it onto his shoulder before glaring down at TapL with unnatural rage.

"Who are you to question me?" Techno asked quietly, barely suppressing his anger.

"Techno, this isn't you! For Father Dan's sake—gods, why am I even still having hope—snap out of it! Why are you trying to kill everyone? What do you get out of that!?" TapL yelled, his heart shattering into pieces as he spoke.

"Must...conquer everything," Techno murmured. "I have to do it to save everyone!"

"You're not saving anybody! Your plans are built on the sufferings of others!" TapL waved his hand around.

"I already told you, the ends justify the means. Why are you still standing in my way?" Techno nearly begged, as if he were his normal self again. TapL could feel his hopes soaring, and immediately he pushed them down.

"Because I know you, and this isn't what you would have wanted!" TapL shouted.

"It's my responsibility to make things right! Wilbur's failures...the deaths of our families...I am the only one left that is capable enough to fix everything, so I'm going to make sure that I go through with that _now!_ " Techno growled as he readied his axe, his eyes flashing a purple color. "You're in my way..."

"Techno, come on," TapL pleaded. "There are so many more ways we can--"

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Techno roared, raising his axe and bringing it down onto TapL with a sudden shift in his movement.

"Shit!" TapL dove to the side as the axe skimmed his new right wing, hardly making a dent in the artificial metal. He pulled out his trusty dagger, whirling around immediately to see Techno running towards him with his axe in hand. Unwilling to fight, TapL dodged the next swing by ducking under while thinking of a way to summon some sort of disarming spell, such as a Silence or an Abraxas. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't experienced enough to know either.

Techno continued on his rage, and TapL had no choice but to face him head on as he used his dagger to barely deter a blow from Techno that would have cleaved his head in two. Rushing to the Ender Dragon, he leapt up, his wings responding to him and propelling him onto the scaly back of the dragon's hide. She tensed at his presence, clearly sensing that TapL was not the one in control of her. Techno, however, quickly followed onto the back of the dragon, balancing himself on the saddle. The dragon took to the skies almost immediately, causing both of them to lose their footing.

TapL fell backwards, his body slamming into the dragon's scales. Techno stumbled to the side, nearly falling into the ocean water below as the Ender Dragon turned away from Lofnheim, going west. As she moved, both fairies regained their footing, staring each other down.

Techno was filled with fury, his magenta eyes glowing purple as if he were almost being controlled, his movements fluid as he created a Thunder spell in his hands. TapL on the other hand was on the verge of crying, but he pushed his feelings aside and focused on not dying. As they both eyed each other, Techno burst into laughter, cackling hollowly.

"Have you forgotten who the Ender Dragon belongs to?" Techno mocked as he rushed forward, his wings propelling him closer to TapL. The messenger fairy dodged, driving his blade along the side of Techno's tunic, just enough to leave a scratch and get through the thick layers of clothing he wore. Techno hissed at the new wound, rearing back, and TapL immediately backed off as well, wary of the insane prince.

"You're making this harder for me," Techno seethed. "Just. Die. Already!"

"No!" TapL screamed as he dodged the next swing, only to find Techno rear back the axe in the same direction to slam TapL with the blunt side of the axe. The strength alone was enough to knock the wind out of his lungs, and he stepped back--

\--only to find nothing there.

TapL lost his footing, his feet slipping from the scales of the dragon. He had little time to sheath his dagger and grope at the straps for any sort of grip, but it turned out to be pointless. Above, Techno laughed at him cruelly at his pitiful attempts to get up.

"This is the end for you!" Techno cheered as TapL lost his entire grip on anything. 

His screams echoed through the sky as the messenger fell beneath the clouds, plummeting towards the waters below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments appreciated as always! lots of bombs dropped this chapter :)


	27. Inheritor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Muffinteers settle in, Wilbur sends out his puppet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6000 HITS LETS FUDGING GOOOOOOOOO?
> 
> more filler but hey, some character dev  
> i AM RUNNING OUT OF TIME TO UPDATE THIS FREQUENTLY AND IT MAKES ME SAD
> 
> song inspo: fe fates - justice RIP (calm)

"Sapnap!" 

The ex-general turned to the right to find the source of the voice, finding himself leaving the gardens and into the training grounds. Thanks to the war, the garden had been left unattended, overgrown vines crawling up the stone walls of the castle. The training grounds had not suffered the same fate, and were surprisingly well-kept.

The voice itself ended up belonging to Bajan, the cleric dusting off his dress as he waved Sapnap over. "Come join us!"

"Alright," Sapnap chuckled. "Do you need help or something?"

"Yeah...it seems like everyone in the court is going into the next battle, and I don't want to sit by idly not being able to do anything." Bajan peered at the variety of weapons in the barracks, concentrating. "I want to make a name for myself, so I'm trying to see if there's a weapon that can be unique to me. You and Preston already wield swords, so that's out of the question...Vikk and George use a lance, and Lachlan an axe. Woofless has a whip, and Purpled apparently uses his dancer rings like daggers or chakrams. Pete has a crossbow and Dream has a normal bow, and Bad has gauntlets...There's almost no options for me."

"You don't have to be unique," Sapnap countered. "Just use a weapon that you think suits you best and makes you comfortable, not what makes you look good in front of others."

"Why did you pick the sword, Sapnap?" Bajan asked suddenly. "Swords have always been considered the mark of high status, or the ones with heroic ideals. You were a general long ago, and you essentially were the savior of Hyllifold."

"I mean...I was kind of forced to pick it up anyway, because that was how we were trained in the castle. I kept it because it was simple to understand. I like sticking with the basics. Sapnap unsheathed his diamond sword, examining the blade. "How come _you_ decided to be a cleric?"

"I didn't decide. I was born that way," Bajan muttered. "When I was born, I could already hear the voice of Father Sky in my head. People treated me like a prophet. I was raised to learn the ways of healing and helping others; the end goal was to be able to have my own temple in order to preserve the religion. I never really considered what I wanted to do with my life...I just took the path that was set out for me. Now, I'm worried it's too late to go back."

"I personally don't think so." Sapnap twirled his sword, testing one of his fighting stances. "I mean...I've been sitting in a cabin for Father-Sky-knows-how-long, and I'm here now to change things for the remainder of my time. After this war, I'll probably go and start travelling. See the places I could never afford to be at. Maybe settle down in Eldingland, who knows? It's never too late to change, Bajan. Besides, the gods are already dead. The thing that shaped your old life is gone, so now you have a clean slate."

"You're right, but still...I don't even know if I'll make it out of this war alive." Bajan's shoulders slumped, and Sapnap's heart twisted in sympathy—after all, he had lived through that feeling before.

"Then let's make sure that we will. Up for some training?" Sapnap asked. "What are you good at?"

"Magic," Bajan immediately answered. "Even my body seems to respond well to magic spells more than others. I don’t have a physical weapon to defend myself with, though."

"Daggers never hurt," Sapnap suggested. "Or you can get your own personal stave, and use that as a sort of fighting stick."

Bajan's eyes crinkled up as he smiled, humming to himself as he pulled out a training knife from the barracks. "Well then...let's start."

_______

"Never rode a pegasus before?" Lachlan asked as he brushed his pegasus' hide, cinching a saddle onto its body.

"No...I was a sniper long ago." Dream stared at the other pegasus that Lachlan had lended over to him. "What's your pegasus' name? And what about this one?"

"Oh...I didn't really name mine. I just left mine as 'The Three-Headed Dragon' because that's exactly what its like—ferocious. The pegasus you're borrowing is Mira." Lachlan reached over, tossing a saddle to Dream. "I'm going to assume you at least know how to saddle one."

"Oh yeah, I used to do it on Sapnap's horse...though I guess it's a bit different here, since the wings get in the way." Dream turned the saddle in his hands, eyebrows raising in surprise. "Two thousand years, and you guys barely changed anything?"

"Saddles didn't really need improvement," Lachlan commented. "We did make them more secure though. Instead of strapping it through, we switched to buckles...just clip it here, and it should be secure. The last strap should be right before the wing." His hands moved deftly to secure the saddle, showing Dream the ropes.

"Do you think Gungnir has a saddle and reins on him? Since he's made out of wind," Dream added.

"Well, that depends on when you're going to summon him. But since you're trying to preserve his uses, we'll teach you the physical way." Lachlan climbed onto his pegasus, Dream doing the same on his own. "Just tug at the reins gently, and you'll take to the skies. Tugging on one end will turn you in that direction, and vice versa."

The minute Dream tugged on the rein, Mira took off, leaping into the air. Dream let out a strangled cry of surprise, fear clasping at his heart as he rose up to the clouds. "Woah!"

Lachlan laughed as Mira slowed down, and Dream took the time to try moving her around. He tugged at one side of the rein, causing the pegasus to veer left. He made a complete U-turn to see the stables below, as well as the training grounds and garden up ahead. The castle seemed much smaller from such a high vantage point, and if he reached high enough he swore he could almost touch the clouds. The fear in his heart melted away into excitement, and he egged Mira on further, the pegasus responding to his command as they flew faster and towards the training grounds.

"Don't leave me here!" Lachlan called out playfully, catching up to Dream quickly. "You're a natural at riding one!"

"Thanks," Dream thanked as he steered above the grounds to see Sapnap and Bajan sparring with each other, the former using his sword to deflect magic spells as the latter ran forward with a dagger in hand ( _How does he even run in a dress like that?_ Dream wondered,) managing to occasionally get one of Sapnap's open spots. At the sudden shadow looming over them, both paused to glance up and see what was happening. Sapnap recognized his brother on the pegasus immediately, and he waved, shouting a quick "Hello!"

"HI!" Dream yelled back before turning around, pulling back on his horse to stop Mira from moving forward. "Lachlan, you want me to use a bow on this horse, right?"

"Well, that's your personal weapon, isn't it? Sinmara...it's a bow that wields fire magic," Lachlan noted. "Come on; I'll show you to the archery range."

"Wait—" Dream was interrupted by a sudden gust of wind as Lachlan took off, and sighing to himself, he urged Mira to catch up.

_______

By the time both parties were done with their own personal training, Dream now knew how to adeptly fly a pegasus (and shoot with his bow, though he was still a bit rocky), Bajan was able to use a dagger and his staff as close-combat weapons, and both Lachlan and Sapnap were worn out from training the two. Dream let out a "whoop!" as he finished securing Mira in the stables, cheering to himself about his achievement. "I haven't felt this great in years!"

"Nice change of scenery," Sapnap commented, grinning as he wiped the sweat off his brow. "Sparring with you was fun, Bajan. You're deceptively fast as hell."

"Thanks." Bajan accepted the comment sheepishly as Lachlan settled down on the ground next to him, downing a canteen of water. "You alright, Lachlan?"

"I'm just thinking about this war...and everything that's about to come," Lachlan murmured. "Not counting all the skirmishes we've had, the past three or so months had three major battles—the ambush at Dyslor at the very beginning, the siege at Miraga, and the showdown on the Ialosian Plains. This next battle is where _everyone_ is going to fight. Wilbur most likely, and Preston as well. Woofless too, since his job is to protect Preston, and Bajan and Pete are joining the front lines. Right now, Vikk's training Philza to fight. And of course, Seapeekay and CaptainSparklez will be the generals on the other side. Not to mention we now have Dream and his friends, and Purpled too. This next battle is going to be a _slaughterfest._ "

Everyone fell silent at his words, the mood turning to gloom despite the bright sun shining down on them as if it were an ordinary day. Dream's face fell as he remembered the war from long ago, memories playing through his mind like a terrible projection on repeat.

"The best we can do is to continue training so we can end this war quickly and save the future," Bajan spoke. "We're doing this because of what we believe in, right? We gotta follow that through to the end."

"'For the future', huh?" Sapnap murmured under his breath. "It's got a nice ring to it."

"We're the defenders, not the attackers," Lachlan continued. "We're here to protect Osiadira from falling into a hopeless future that Keldavegr plans to make."

"What does Keldavegr want, anyway?" Dream asked.

"I don't know. Wilbur's out of his mind, apparently." Lachlan ran a hand through his hair, changing the subject quickly. "Anyways, where's your flier friend? The fairy."

"George? Come to think of it, I haven't seen him all day," Sapnap muttered. "GEORGE?"

His shout was met by silence, and Sapnap grumbled to himself before rising up. "Well, we should probably go look for him--"

"AHHHHHHHHH!" A high-pitched scream erupted from the third floor castle window , the window flying open to release a plume of black smoke. Out of the window poked George's head, the fairy coughing from the ashes. "Sorry! I'm trying to cook something."

"Give us a moment," Bajan called out before getting up and dusting his dress off again. "Come on guys, let's go save your ridiculous friend."

_______

"You are the puppet," Wilbur murmured as he studied the new figure in the underground chamber. The puppet that the god in the mirror had given him was a face he had never expected to see. Even then, the doll held itself upright, ready to move at Wilbur's command. Reddish-black magic emitted from the puppet's entire body, indiciating their status as either dormant or awake.

The puppet made no move to confirm Wilbur 's conclusion, nor anything about whether or not he was someone else.

"Can you speak? Are you sentient?" Wilbur asked next.

The great figure shook his head, clearly showing that he was sentient. An idea formed in Wilbur's mind, an especially terrible one that could completely change everything and secure Keldavegr the winner of their great fight.

"You'll listen to my command," Wilbur confirmed, and the puppet nodded. A sick grin began to pour over Wilbur's mouth and a plan formulated in his head. Suddenly, he had a reason for this puppet. A way to completely disarm Hyllifold, especially with their lack of morale like he had seen for himself. A chuckle escaped his lips, followed by laughter. He could almost taste the sweet nectar of victory.

"Since it seems like you're agile and quick...how about this?" Wilbur leaned forward in order to whisper the words in his puppet's ear. A haunting grin latched onto his face as a twinkle of orange sparked in his eyes. The puppet didn't react to him being so close, waiting patiently for orders.

"I believe you'll follow my every step I take, so I'll leave this one mission to you...

... **Kill King Preston for me."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this was so short--like i said im out of time now THIS IS DEP R ESSING ME
> 
> fixed the ending bc i also wrote it in a daze, mb


	28. Aspiration and Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TapL finally wakes up, and Philza and Pete have another conversation. Then, disaster strikes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOPS EARLY UPDATE BUT THAT’S BECAUSE IM OUT OF TIME SO IM JUST TRYING TO GET EVERYTHING DONE ASAP  
> 6100 HITS, ALMOST 6200? LETS GO!!!!
> 
> some filler and stuff but don't worry we're gonna get back into action real soon
> 
> song inspo: fe awakening - divine decree (calm)

When TapL finally came to, he was on the shore of a beach, his hair soaked with saltwater and his body shivering from the cold. Just across from where he had came from was a large forest, the oak trees looming over with dancing shadows in the late afternoon. Sand splattered over his body, dusting him with a fine layer of beige as he rose from the ground to a sitting position, pain flaring up his legs.

The first thing he did was check to see whether or not anything was broken. Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case, as all of his bones and joints were in working order. There were bruises littered all over his feet where his boots had gone missing, most likely washed away to sea. His artificial wings creaked and groaned as they fixed themselves, stretching out their skeleton and relieving themself of any cramps. His bodysuit was still fine, the scaly armor glimmering with enchantments. His dagger was still attached to his belt, sheathed safely in his scabbard.

The second thing he did was look around to deduce his location, but the forest didn't give him much of an idea. He was sure he was still on Osiadira and definitely the mainland, but otherwise there weren't many things he could go off of. The humid air indicated he was more likely to be south, but he didn't quite know where alongside the shore he could be. Besides, the archipelago he and Techno had fought on was near Lofnheim, which was farther toward Keldavegr and thus very far from the south. He had no idea how long he had been out cold for.

The faint beating of wings interrupted his train of thought, and he glanced up toward the sky. Above him, he saw the faint outline of the Ender Dragon's massive body, coming down towards him immediately. A voice in his mind instinctively told him to run, but his body stayed in place, refusing to go anywhere. Lethargy swept over him, despite him having just woken up, and he merely turned his head away as the dragon landed, causing sand to fly up everywhere. Some of it got in TapL's hair, and he shook his head to get the particles out.

Techno hopped off of the dragon's back, running towards him with a leather bag. His expression was mocking and pitiful as he bent down toward TapL. "Hey."

"I thought you were trying to kill me?" TapL questioned.

"I was, but there's a saying—keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." Techno's lip curled as he shuffled through the bag, pulling out a canteen of water. "Can't have you running off and telling everyone of my plans."

"Oh." TapL took the water, slightly bitter that Techno no longer considered him a friend. "Where are we?"

"Edge of the Sólbjǫrgvǫllr Forest. You were out for a whole week. Really nasty fall. You're lucky you had the bodysuit, or else you'd probably be dead by now. I retrieved you from the water and dropped you off here before leaving to get some stuff." Techno tossed him an apple. "While I was gone, I heard rumors among the fairies I passed by talking about an ambush. Something that Keldavegr plans to do at the Dyslor Plains, just like they did the first time the two sides fought."

TapL processed the information silently, eating the apple. "So they're reusing a strategy?"

"Supposedly. Smart play, especially since Hyllifold is desperate. But I don't want Keldavegr to win." Techno's expression became pained. "At this point, the genetic illness in Wilbur would start kicking in. He's going to start going mad."

"So what are we going to do, then?" TapL asked.

"What do you think? We have a party to crash," Techno grinned. "And besides, I've made an interesting discovery. Right underneath the plains itself is some sort of entrance. Not sure quite where, but the dragon was able to sense it. And judging from the way she was reacting, it must be important. But it seems so far down below that it'll be hard to reach."

"How are you going to open that entrance, anyway?" TapL frowned, discarding the apple core by throwing it into a bush.

"The Ender Dragon has some special breath that can poison and wear away at anything—living or non-living. With enough focus, she could probably tear a gap in the Plains to lead straight down to it." Techno nudged TapL gently, a sickening smile haunting his features. "I hope you're ready for a fight. Don't want to leave you behind again."

TapL merely stared at Techno, not sure what to make of his friend. Despite having lost his sanity, Techno managed to seem relatively stable even when he wasn’t, and that by itself was already terrifying to him. He was also willing to stab TapL in the back at any moment should the fairy disobey him, as if their previous friendship had meant nothing to him whatsoever. Seeing Techno simultaneously care about TapL and also be ready to murder him locked him in a position where he was desperate to resist, but knew he couldn't.

The Ender Dragon seemed to eye him, her maw open as if to laugh at his despair once more. TapL was tempted to go up and punch her in the jaw, but he knew he wouldn't be able to leave a dent.

"Hey." Techno's voice barely reached TapL's ears before a hand slapped across his face, causing him to reel back and clutch his cheek. Anger flared up inside him as he turned to Techno, but the deathly look on the prince's face was enough to wash his anger over with fear.

"Don't sit there and leave me hanging. I asked if you were ready for a fight," Techno hissed.

"Right. Yeah, I'm ready," TapL seethed, his cheek still stinging from the force of the blow.

"Good." Techno rose, slinging the bag over his shoulder as he turned to the dragon. "Then let's go."

_______

"Where is he?" Philza muttered to himself as he ran down the castle corridor, his footsteps echoing in the barren hallway. Unlike the Keldavegrian castle, Hyllifold's larger and less-elaborate palace was completely vacant, save for the war council and the occasional guard he came across. Many had expressed confusion at the sight of the fairy inside Hyllifold territory, but among hearing that Philza was on their side, they agreed to leave him alone. After all, it wasn't like Philza was a full-fledged fairy anyway. He wanted to keep his true species a secret.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize there was someone in front of him until he slammed right into them, tumbling backwards from the impact and hitting the marble floor. Pain flared up his wings, but he ignored it as he tried to get his bearings and see who he had ran into.

"Sorry, I wasn't watching—" Philza paused as he got a better look at the person he ran into, surprise and relief rising in his chest at the same time. "Oh, it's you Pete. I was looking for you!"

"You were really out of it, huh?" Pete grumbled as he rose from the ground, dusting himself off. "I literally called your name five times, but you still weren't listening to me."

"Sorry," Philza replied sheepishly.

"No, it's alright," Pete reassured, before blinking and looking Philza up and down. "What were you trying to show me?"

"The armor." After training with Vikk, it was clear that the priest was being limited by his clothing, and Vikk had decided to give Philza some armor. Now, instead of the shawl and dress like before, Philza now had a simple chestplate and tassets, complete with pale leg armor the color of ice. Underneath all the armor was a simple long-sleeved shirt that barely poked out of his rerebraces, combined with two sets of pauldrons that bulked up his shoulders even more to deflect hard blows. Strapped across his body was a scabbard, along with a thin silver backsword that could nearly pass as a rapier. Tied around his head was a pale red veil—the color of Hyllifold, short enough to come just above his hair. "When I go into battle, I'll be one of the calvary."

"Front lines?" Pete asked, and Philza nodded. The assassin nodded in approval, his lip curling. "It seems fitting for you—your stance is much more relaxed than when you were in your priest clothing. You look more in your natural habitat."

"Father Dan, I almost forgot how observant you were," Philza grumbled as he began to walk back the way he came, Pete following next to him. "I guess being a priest was never my calling. I hated it."

"But you still did it anyway. Why?" Pete questioned.

"Well, I used to be an explorer. Even though there were rules about never leaving the continent and so forth...I broke them," Philza confessed. "The church never caught me, and neither did Keldavegr. I wanted to explore everything. I wanted to go out and see the world." His eyes fractured in the evening sun, dull and broken. "I understood why the rule was implemented anyway, but I was already an outcast."

"...You're half-siren," Pete concluded, eyebrows raised in surprise.

"One of the last," Philza murmured. "I...I left Osiadira. I saw nothing but sea for days. I was scared I wasn't going to make it back, but I would always tell myself that the ocean welcomes me because of who I am, and that egged me on."

"What...what happened?" Anxiety began to rise in Pete as he listened to Philza's story.

"I should've never left," Philza whispered, his voice so quiet Pete nearly didn't catch it. "When I finally came across land...I saw something devastating. It...it was horrifying."

"You don't have to continue," Pete interrupted, worried. "Not if you're uncomfortable."

"No!" Philza shouted, stopping in his tracks, and Pete flinched. "I've gotten this far...it's about time I finally tell someone. And besides, I trust you the most out of anyone here—which is ironic, since you nearly killed me, but still..."

"Then what did you see?" Pete asked the question he didn't want to ask, waiting for an answer.

"A city unlike anything I'd ever seen before...buildings made out of weapons towering toward the sky, roads made of unknown material, carriages that were long and flat...all of it, burning and demolished." Tears welled up in Philza's eyes. "Smoke and ash everywhere, clouding the entire place. Fires raging of an unnatural blue color. Trees and vegetation growing haphazardly in places they weren't supposed to be, colored green and red as if it were both spring and fall at the same time. Jagged black spires that tore through the earth like a sword running through one's back. And...dead bodies. Littered all over the place. Some bled out to death, some were burning in the fires, some had their heads missing and some had their bodies shriveled up into black ash. Some of them were at the top of those spires, the tip of the rock having speared them from below. Some of the bodies hung from the trees, the vegetation having grown over them like dirt...leaves and branches coming out of their ears and where their eyes were supposed to be. It was a complete desolate wasteland. Outside of Osiadira, the world is broken."

Pete listened to the graphic descriptions, internally cringing at a couple of them. "Father Sky."

"I turned around. I swore to never leave the continent again. I came back to Osiadira, pretending I had just taken a long vacation in Eldingland. I pretended to be alright the best I could. I continued working on becoming a priest, locking myself up in a temple, making sure that I wouldn't have to suffer ever again." Philza was sobbing now, his hands gripping Pete's shoulders as if clinging onto reality. "Even now...I'm still doubting myself. I keep thinking that I can't go back out there. But I can't stand it here!"

Pete stared at Philza for a moment longer, and then he sighed. "Philza. Why let one discovery crush your hopes and dreams? Why confine yourself to your prison of a temple? You took one attempt, and gave up right after it. It's not too late to change your mind. You can try to look for another place. The world isn't limited to just Osiadira and the wasteland you found. Osiadira is scared of the unknown—but you aren't, and you should take advantage of that."

"Still..." Philza wiped his face, smearing saltwater all over his cheeks. "Father Dan, this is pathetic, isn't it?"

"It's not pathetic. It's normal," Pete replied. "If I had been put in your situation, I would be terrified too. But I'm sure you can be resilient. Let's make sure that both of us get out of this war alive. And when we do, I'll help you to get back into your passion."

"But don't you need to make money? Aren't you going to leave after you get your payment?" Philza asked.

"When I first came here to kidnap you, I was looking for the money. I wasn't invested in the war too much. But after retrieving you, and becoming a part of Preston's court, I've decided that instead of leaving everything up to fate, I'd take control of my life more." Pete smiled at Philza. "Forget the money. You're my friend now, and I want to help you."

"Friend? You're funny." Philza laughed, but it wasn't hollow. "Thanks, Pete. Really. I appreciate it."

"Of course," Pete grinned. "Now, was the armor really the only thing you were going to show me?"

"Oh! I gotta show you the horse," Philza remembered, and he began to run off. Pete sighed, quickly yelling "Wait up!" before going after the priest.

_______

The sun hadn't even risen yet, and yet Dream felt uneasy. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. Then again, he just had the nightmare again. Even sleeping in a different location wasn’t enough to will his nightmares away. Thanks to George, the dreams were murkier now, no longer so haunting, but they still frightened him.

His hands twitched, his body feeling the urge to move. He couldn't sleep, but it wasn't like he needed it anyway—his mind was clear and his body was well-rested, though slightly aching from training on a pegasus all day the day before.

There was a knock on his door, and Dream tensed. "Who's there?" He croaked out.

The door swung open, and the faces of both Purpled and Bad peeked in. "You're awake?"

"Oh...why are you guys up so late?" Dream implored.

"Preston called an emergency meeting." From the look on Purpled's face, it was urgent. "Scouts came back and reported that Keldavegr plans an ambush at dawn."

Dream glanced out of the window, seeing the black sky slowly turn blue, and he kicked the sheets off of himself. "That's too soon!"

"That's why we gotta hurry!" Bad waved his hand over. "Come on!"

Dream rushed to the closet, pulling out his tunic and armor, and ran into the restroom next to his room, quickly dumping his night clothing and switching into his armor and boots. Haphazardly sliding the diadem onto his tousled hair, he stepped back out and grabbed Sinmara before following Purpled and Bad out of his bedroom, running down the dark corridor and towards the stairs. Outside, the moon was starting to set, and Dream could estimate about an hour max before the sun rose. He skipped the stairs, three at a time, before running down through the fifth floor to reach the war council room. Outside, the two guards were gone, and lanterns were lit at the entrance, indicating people were inside.

Purpled swung the doors open, revealing everyone in the room, talking animatedly over a map with hushed voices. At the sight of the three, Preston nodded sternly, waving them in. "Come in."

Dream squeezed in between Sapnap and George, both looking worn from being woken up at such an unnatural time. Preston was standing at the head of the table, Woofless next to him sharpening the blades of his whips with a whetstone. Lachlan seemed distraught, holding his axe tightly, and Vikk was focused on the map, using an ink pen (which was probably Bad's) to mark locations and possible strategies. Bajan was listening intently, while Philza and Pete were discussing the possibilities of using the terrain to their advantage. Purpled and Bad quickly joined them, and soon the room was crowded with so many people inside.

"What's going on?" Dream demanded.

"Scouts came back and informed us Keldavegr is marching onto the Dyslor Plains. It hasn't even been that long and yet they're attacking again...Wilbur is on the front lines along with CaptainSparklez and Seapeekay." Preston pointed at the map. "We're trying to discuss what to do, but we don’t have a lot of time."

"Are you joining the fight?" George asked.

"Everyone here will be fighting," Vikk answered, pointing at the map. "We were considering to split everyone up into teams, split up along the flanks to circle them and keep them from getting into Hyllifold."

"Over here there's a lot of trees. I can use that to my advantage," Pete noted, pointing towards the right of the Dyslor Plains. "It would be a good idea to place me here. Along with that, the ground here is easy to maneuver on a horse, so Philza can help out here by distracting so I can get soldiers without my location being exposed."

"I can join too. You'll need a front-line long-ranged fighter," Purpled added.

"We can circle from the back," Bad muttered. "There's a small cliff across from the Brazen Hill, which will be good for an ambush from behind."

"We?" Preston questioned.

"Us four." Sapnap pointed at himself, Dream, George, and Bad. "We'll have to make a large circle, but if we start moving before they start attacking, then we should be good."

"Lachlan and Woofless can hold the middle flank, Bajan holding the back line and Preston along with us," Vikk suggested. "I'll go with Pete, Philza, and Purpled."

"You sure?" Lachlan asked.

"It doesn't matter," Preston interrupted. "We're out of time. We need to get there _now_!"

"What do you—" George's voice faltered as he turned toward the window where the sky was a deep blue, fading into a yellowish tint as the sun threatened to peek over the horizon. "Oh no."

"Come on, everyone!" Bad was the first out of the room.

"Rally the armies—don't bother getting them to march; we need to run." Lachlan nodded at Vikk, and the two generals raced to reach their soldiers.

"Don't forget your steeds!" Bajan reminded as he followed them out.

"Are you riding a horse?" Dream asked Sapnap breathlessly as they continued out of the room and down towards the stairwell.

"Yeah—are you riding a pegasus?" Sapnap asked.

"Yep. I'm not going to call on Gungnir though. I'll give Bad a ride. George, you flying?" Dream questioned the fairy following close behind them.

"I run faster, but sure," George agreed.

As Dream reached the first floor, he took the nearest exit and headed toward the stables, where a good number of soldiers were quickly cinching saddles to their steeds. Dream found Mira in the midst of all of them, quickly strapping onto her her reins and saddle. She whinnied from the rush, but obeyed anyways. "Sorry for the hurry," Dream apologized.

"Let's go!" Lachlan's voice echoed through the stables as the calvary quickly followed their leader. Dream turned to make sure Sapnap was on his horse, and then he glanced over to George to ensure that the fairy was with them.

George was nowhere to be seen.

"George!" Dream called out, frantically looking for the fairy. "George!"

"I'm right here!" The nightmare fairy poked out of the sea of calvary leaving, Bad right by his side. "Bad's here with me."

"Bad, come on!" Sapnap yelled, and the human ran over as fast as he could to climb onto the horse, resting right behind Sapnap.

"You sure you don't wanna fly, Bad?" Dream asked.

"We don't have time for questions like that," Bad reassured. "I'll be fine!"

"Alright then. Let's go!" Dream yelled as he pulled back on Mira's reins, the pegasus taking flight. Sapnap's horse whinnied as he and Bad ran down the stables, and George followed after Dream, all of them heading toward their first and most dangerous battle in the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dream: *says hes scared of heights  
> also me: *makes dream a pegasus flier*
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!!!


	29. Thunderstrike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fourth battle officially begins, and everyone joins the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6400 HITS, thank you all once again :)))  
> if anyone would like to make fanart, post it on twitter with the #ADADfanart hashtag so i can find it! (make sure your acc is public)  
> this chapter hurt to write, you'll see why :(
> 
> song inspo: fe3h - chasing daybreak (rain/thunder mix) (YOU SHOULD TOTALLY LISTEN TO IT WHILE READING)

At the bottom of the hills where the plains began, a large army of fairies stood on the opposite half, flags of blue rippling in the breeze of the morning sun. The glow of sunrise encased the entire plains in an orange hue, everyone's armor bright and shining. At the forefront of it all was CaptainSparklez with his sword, Seapeekay with his lance, and Wilbur in between both of them.

Before stepping out into the open, Preston quickly ushered the other two teams away, watching them disappear behind the thicket of trees. He glanced back toward Woofless, who was right behind him. The ex-brigand gave him an encouraging nod, and Preston unsheathed his longsword, stepping into the open.

At the sight of the elf king, Wilbur seemed to grin from afar. The fairy emperor was dressed in a suit, armor adorned with thorns all over his body and his wings covered in armored plating. His crown of roses was still on his head, and his rapier was unsheathed, ready for a fight. The dark green cape he wore flapped in the breeze as he stepped forward, leaving his armies behind. Preston exhaled before stepping forward, away from the rest of his armies. Woofless nearly followed, but stayed back just in case.

The two kings stopped only a couple of feet away from each other, eyeing each other down. Wilbur's facial expression was unreadable, but Preston was determined to give it his all, to protect his kingdom and save Hyllifold from Keldavegr.

"Seems you found us." Wilbur was the first to break the silence.

"Indeed we have." Preston didn't know what to say. "Are you here to discuss surrender?"

"Pfft!" Wilbur laughed, ridiculing the elf's words. "Absolutely not. How about instead of this, we let our swords do the talking?"

"Well, I tried," Preston sighed, reluctantly raising his sword and pointing it at Wilbur. "This look familiar?"

"I did the same thing to you long ago." Wilbur grinned, readying himself into a fighting stance. "Can't wait to see you on the receiving end."

"You're off your rocker, man." Preston rolled his eyes before screeching "CHARGE!" at the top of his lungs, running toward Wilbur and leaping into the air to bring his sword down upon him.

At the command, Woofless waved Lachlan and Bajan over. "Come on!"

"Let's go!" CaptainSparklez yelled out the opposing order, and the fairy army took off, rushing toward Lachlan's army. Like two stormy waves, the armies crashed into each other, foaming at the tips as they cut down at each other's sides. Despite having formations, everything went loose as people from both sides were wounded or dead.

Wilbur used a shield to deflect Preston's blow, thrusting forward his sword hand. The tip of the rapier grazed Preston's chestplate, barely doing any damage as Preston merely leapt off of him and quickly casted a Wind spell, hoping to disorient the fairy. Unfortunately, Wilbur was aware of what he was trying to do, and swiftly dodged before his sword went for Preston's head. The elf king reeled back, the blade flying above him by inches as he turned to the side and sliced at Wilbur's shield arm. Another shield block redirected the blow easily, and Preston rose to his feet just as a Fire spell slammed into his face, causing him to stumble back. Wilbur went in for a finishing blow, but Preston managed to lift his sword and push the rapier away, the blade grazing his arm.

Lachlan avoided Seapeekay as best as he could, fighting random soldiers that were nameless to him, nobodies that he could easy forget and pray that they wouldn’t haunt him by the time he met the end. Seeing CaptainSparklez, he leapt off his pegasus, backflipping in the air to ease the impact as he landed in front of the fairy general, hefting his axe before yelling out a cry, rushing forward to face him.

Woofless pulled a dead soldier closer to him with his whip, using the body as a shield as arrows flew toward him, embedding themselves into the ground around him. As a fairy with gauntlets drew near to punch him in the face, Woofless struck out his whip with a sickening crack, the sharp blades piercing the soldier with ease. As he drew his whip back, he downed a quick swiftness potion, allowing his body to become lighter as he ran toward the archers, ready to take them down.

Bajan's staff barely deflecting a blow from the sword of a fairy, the cleric pushing him back before smacking him in the face with the blunt end of the staff. As the fairy fell in pain, Bajan casted a Thunder spell to immobilize him before stabbing him with his dagger. Seconds later he healed a wounded soldier with a Heal spell before facing a number of fairy mages, all of them forming spells. Without wasting a single moment, Bajan rushed forward, knife and staff in hand.

On the other side, where the left flank was, a pure white steed ran through the battlefield, backsword hacking and slicing through foes almost as if it were a jousting competition. As one fairy turned to the rider, their eyes widened in shock. "You are...!"

"Save your complaints," Philza muttered, a Ragnarok spell raining down on the fairy. "I'm not on your side."

The fairy's eyes were full of shock just as a hailstorm of rocks and fire slammed into their face. Philza ran them through with his sword, turning to find the next opponent.

"Watch out!" A fellow elf soldier yelled, and Philza turned back to see a fairy running toward him with a sword, ready to stab his horse. The horse reared back just as an arrow embedded the soldier in the chest, effectively killing them. Philza glanced back toward the trees. In the distance, well-hidden in the brush, was Pete loading arrows into his crossbow to kill stragglers. Relieved, Philza continued onward, sword readying to run others over.

A roar rang throughout the battlefield as Vikk dove down from where he was in the sky, unleashing spells left and right. As he landed, the ground rumbled from where he was, a slight earthquake shuddering the plains around him. His halberd quickly found a home in a fairy's abdomen, flying back to his hand as he tore down at the forces threatening to get too close to Pete or to Preston.

Meanwhile, in the back of the woods, Dream took a shaky breath, watching the battle unfold. "Ready?"

"Whenever you are," Bad muttered, pulling out a number of charms in his hand as he re-strapped his gauntlets to his fists.

Dream reared Mira back, hooves clopping the dirt-trodden ground as he rushed forward into the sunlight, his pegasus bursting out of the trees with Sinmara in his hand and an arrow nocked. Behind him, Sapnap headed downward on his horse, George and Bad right by his side with the latter smashing the charms on the ground. The magic of the charms quickly engulfed the three in an invisibility spell, allowing them to go in unnoticed. Dream immediately came face-to-face with the first fairy and let loose his arrow, the fledged weapon barely missing the mark and deflecting off the fairy's armor. He backed off immediately, readying another arrow and letting it fly. As the fairy went to dodge it, he turned away, continuing to look for the epicenter of it all.

It didn't take him that long—a wide circle was devoid of anyone as Preston and Wilbur fought in the middle, swords clashing and both equally beaten up. Preston had multiple cuts on his face and body, and his armor was gradually becoming more and more worn. Wilbur's cape was in tatters, a pile of thorns scattered on the ground around him thanks to Preston's handiwork.

Dream dove in-between them, startling Preston and nearby getting him impaled. Wilbur backed off, trying to identify the newcomer, and at once his face lit up with unstable glee and recognition.

"Finally!" He laughed terribly, a grin splattered across his face. "Finally decided to show yourself after two thousand years, huh!? I actually thought you left Osiadira for a moment, but seems like you've been here this entire time."

"Dream, be careful! He's insane," Preston warned breathlessly as he barely dodged a sudden attack from Wilbur.

Dream could feel his arm growing uncomfortable, the sigil beginning to burn again thanks to him being too close to Wilbur. Forcing himself to ignore it, he nocked an arrow, letting it fly as Mira swerved to one side to avoid another stray arrow from elsewhere. Casting a Rexcalibur, the ice exploded in between Wilbur and Preston, pushing them farther away from each other to buy Preston more time.

While the three faced each other, Lachlan had cut his way through another formation, effectively scattering the fairies. As he turned around to find another target, blood splattered across his pegasus, the steed rearing back in surprise. In front of him, an elf soldier fell, one of Seapeekay's lances speared through their neck. Lachlan tried to leave, but Seapeekay had already seen him.

"I always knew this day would come," Lachlan murmured, knowing he was unable to escape the inevitable fight.

"Man, this sucks...so did I." Seapeekay shook his head, armor indistinguishable from the rest of the fairies, blood drying on his chestplate and cuts and bruises all over his face. "Guess this battle really is the last stand—for one of us, anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Lachlan asked, confused.

"We can't run anymore. Not from each other." Seapeekay bit his lip, gripping his lance tightly enough for it to snap in two. "Let's get this over with, shall we? Spare the other suffering."

"...You sound remorseful." Lachlan ignored Seapeekay's questions, noticing how haggard and weary his friend was. "Are you still sad about everything?"

"Maybe, maybe not. This war has changed a lot of things for me." For once, Seapeekay was able to look at Lachlan directly without shedding a tear. "But I don't think I'd want to be ended any other way. You've encouraged me to stand up and fight, so I'll be sure not to let you down. Going either by victory or your hand is comforting enough for me."

Lachlan could feel his lip quivering at the words of his childhood friend. He gripped his axe, praying that if he were to be the one that cut his friend down, he would make it quick. "The same goes for me. Until then...don't disappoint me. Put up a good fight, will you?"

"I will," Seapeekay smiled—the last time he would—and Lachlan's heart shattered into pieces.

Both lunged at each other, Lachlan's pegasus thundering across the plains whilst Seapeekay ran forward with his armor clinking against each other. Their weapons clashed, sparks flying in the air, and immediately an Aura spell fell in between them, both reeling back to avoid the pillar of light. Lachlan circled around to attack Seapeekay, assuming he had become disoriented, but ended up being wrong as the general was in the sky instead, coming down upon him with lance in hand. Lachlan swerved, taking to the skies as well, Bolting spell coming down to snipe Seapeekay from afar. The lightning snagged at Seapeekay's wing, a hole tearing through the armor and the flesh. Screeching in pain, the general instinctively fired an Excalibur spell, effectively trapping Lachlan and his pegasus in the tornado-like wind.

Lachlan tried to steer his pegasus out, but another Excalibur slammed into him, and he toppled off his steed, clasping his axe tightly as he fell away from the tornado and down toward the ground. 

Backflipping in midair he cast a Wind spell at Seapeekay, who had been readying a third Excalibur spell. As the tornado above dissolved into nothingness, the Wind spell slammed into Seapeekay, opening a crack in the back of his chestplate and effectively disarming him temporarily. As he landed on the ground, he ignored the stabbing pain in his legs as he ran toward where his pegasus had fallen from the sky to the ground, bloodied and not breathing. He had no time to mourn, instead rummaging quickly through his supply pack and downing a strength potion. As the concoction settled in, a spear whizzed by him, narrowly missing his head.

Lachlan threw the empty glass bottle away, letting Seapeekay finish a golden apple before running toward him, swinging at the general's chest. Seepeekay leaned back before jabbing at Lachlan's shoulder, the latter twisting and raising his shield to block the blow. His axe tore through Seapeekay's pauldrons, the added strength cutting through the armor easily. Even then, there was still another layer of armor underneath, and Lachlan barely managed to make a correlation before Seapeekay's fist slammed into his right cheek, Lachlan's head whipping back from the force of the blow. As he tried to gain his surroundings, Seapeekay's lance came down on his shield arm, hacking away at the metal and piercing through Lachlan's arm.

Lachlan hissed in pain, writhing away from the lance as Seapeekay pulled it out with a sickening lurch, blood pouring out of the wound. In retaliation and self-defense, Lachlan spotted the weakest part of Seapeekay's armor and went for it, axe coming down on the wings. Sure enough, the axe ripped through Seapeekay's larger left wing, dismembering it. As Seapeekay stumbled from the imbalance, Lachlan did the same to his right wing, Seapeekay's flight now gone as the general felt at the dissolving, bloodless flesh.

Already, he was getting dizzy from the sudden loss of blood, strength leaving him as the potion lost its effect. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an elf soldier running toward their battle, sword in hand ready to stab Seapeekay from behind. Time seemed to slow to a standstill, and at once Lachlan made the craziest decision of his life.

He rushed forward with one last energy burst, flipping his axe to the blunt side. As Seapeekay saw Lachlan barreling toward him, he realized who was behind him, but before he could turn around Lachlan slammed the axe into Seapeekay, pushing the fairy just enough to move him out of the way. At the same time, the silver sword ran Lachlan through, piercing through his battered armor with surprising ease.

The soldier's eyes widened, horrified at what they'd done, before meeting their end with Seapeekay's lance. The fairy stumbled over to Lachlan, who had fallen to the ground in a puddle of blood. "Lachlan! _Lachlan!_ "

Lachlan coughed, blood spurting out of his mouth. "Seapeekay..."

"You idiot. Why would you do that!? This is war!" Seapeekay's lip quivered, watching the life drain out of his friend. "I'm not worth losing you life over!"

"I still have a lot of regrets," Lachlan coughed out, wheezing for breath. "It doesn't seem like I'll be dying anytime soon...you know what to do."

"I..." Seapeekay wiped a stray tear, pulling out his emergency dagger. The blade glinted in the light, the clear metal showing Seapeekay's distorted reflection. "'Spare the other suffering'...I'll be sure to do that."

"Thank you," Lachlan murmured, a bloody smile painting his face. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, but his chest still heaved as he struggled to stay conscious, blood dribbling from the chest wound and into the ground. His axe was too far for him to reach, and every movement felt like fire. Above him, Seapeekay raised the dagger above his head, trying not to cry. "Don't blame yourself..."

"I'm sorry," Seapeekay whispered. "I wish things could have been different."

Then he brought the dagger down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah, not a lot of people have died yet but one by one they’re gonna start dropping like flies from here on out. brace yourselves :(
> 
> schools about to start, meaning updates might become more sporadic (which hurts me bc i love writing this and i don’t wanna be out of time) but we finally got to the fun part so i won’t be in writers block as much lol
> 
> UPDATE: SORRY FOR THE LATENESS, EXPECT UPDATES TO BE 4-5 DAYS APART NOW BC OF SCHOOL :(
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	30. Gateway to Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle rages on, and already Hyllifold has lost one of their greatest allies. Everything goes to hell when _he_ arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all, im so sorry for this late update. ive been weighed down a lot recently by school and a lot of other mental issues ive been having with myself, so it was really hard for me to write. expect updates to be weekly at best, since ill be drained from schoolwork and whatnot. this chapter might be shorter than usual, but that’s because i need to cut it off somewhere good, and this was the only place i could possibly think off. so for that, im incredibly sorry :(
> 
> song inspo: fe3h - descent

Sapnap ran his sword through another fairy, turning his horse to see a fairy general bent over a body, shaking with grief. Sapnap steered closer, trying to identify the body, and gasped when he got a closer look. The blond hair, the battered armor, and the weak, dull smile etched on his face gave it away.

"L-Lachlan?" He called out in horror. "W-What have you done?"

"I-He told me to!" The fairy general wailed, turning around with tears trailing down his cheeks. "He saved me..."

"What?" Sapnap blinked at him in confusion, but he was quickly interrupted by the roar of a wyvern, and the familiar sound of magic being cast from above him. He ran to one side, the general rushing to the other as Vikk landed on the ground, rage in his eyes.

"You murdered Lachlan, you lying bastard!" Vikk twirled his halberd, readying another Sagittae spell. "I will _kill you myself!_ "

"Vikk, wait!" Sapnap yelled, but the general wasn't listening to him anymore. Not wanting to watch the fight, Sapnap steered away, focusing on fighting another enemy as he quickly smashed a swiftness potion on the ground, the effects sinking into both him and his horse. 

Philza was soon at his side, horse side by side as the two met up on the battlefield. "What's going on?" Philza hissed.

"Lachlan's dead," Sapnap muttered, and Philza's eyes widened. "Vikk's gone on a rampage."

"Where's Seapeekay?" Philza asked.

"Trying not to die, since it seems like he was the one who killed Lachlan." Sapnap shook his head. "We can’t just keep standing here. Preston's relying on us."

"Right," Philza murmured dejectedly, subconsciously shifting his eyes toward his wings. "Why are we talking? Let's get back to the fight—augh!"

"Philza!" Sapnap rushed forward, ready to take out the attacker that had just stabbed Philza in the knee, but the fairy quickly fell with an arrow embedded into their head, Pete right behind him. Philza hissed at the wound, but was unable to get a good look at it thanks to another fairy trying to spear his horse. Pete and Sapnap glanced at each other, communicating without words, before Pete climbed onto Philza's horse, readying his crossbow as Sapnap galloped away.

The plains were utter chaos. The hills at the edges of the plains were lined with elf archers trying to take down as many fairies as they could with their silver-tipped arrows, but for each one they cut down more seemed to appear. On the mainland blades flew as swords met lances, lances met axes; daggers and knives flew everywhere as the ground exploded in a hailstorm of blood from cuts and slices. The sound of magic being summoned filled the air, spells of all kinds raining down from above or below. The calvary and fliers of the elf kingdom thundered across both land and sky. Pride was thrown away as the battle lost its civility, many resorting to their gauntlets and fists in the heat of the fight. Technique was sacrificed for a grasp of survival, everyone determined to give in for their cause.

As Sapnap rode around, casting spells left and right and trying to ignore the pain in his right arm where the sigil was, he could vague identify his comrades, though a good number were beaten up. Vikk's vision had tunneled as he relentlessly chased after Seapeekay, Jerome roaring in protest as swords and spells tore at his scaly wings. Bajan was drinking a regeneration potion whilst weakly fending off a fairy, circling around smaller fights as he wore himself out. Philza was struggling to stay atop his horse with his injured foot, Pete taking the offense as the priest attempted to steer away to check the severity of the wound. George was easily spottable in the sea of fairies in the sky, fighting alongside the pegasus knights as he did his best to rally the troops that had lost their leader. Bad's strange magic cast a blue glow over everything, some fairies choking in clouds of poison from his staff whilst others fell quickly to his fists. Instinctively he looked for Lachlan, but quickly remembered the general was dead, forgotten among the sea of bodies that were starting to pile up.

Sapnap decided to cast a Seraphim where Bajan was struggling to help him out before riding in alongside Bad. The human glanced quickly and acknowledged his presence without a second thought, resuming back to the fight. Sapnap's sword, covered in splatters of fairy blood, glinted in the sunlight as he charged into battle, glimpsing momentarily toward the center of the plains.

In the middle, Preston and Wilbur continued their duel, neither of them giving in to exhaustion. Around them, Dream flew on his pegasus, occasionally firing arrows at Wilbur only for them to bounce off his armor as if he wore a protective bodysuit underneath. His hair was unkempt and in his face, crown askew and rapier matted with dirt and grime. Preston didn't seem to fare much better, his crown having gone missing entirely and his face and body covered in bruises and cuts. The slight aura around them indicated both had drank potions, most likely of strength and regeneration—had neither of them drank the latter, both would be dead from their wounds.

Then, from both sides, exclaims and gasps of confusion and pain began to ring around the battlefield. Sapnap, momentarily distracted, nearly lost his life to a sword had he not have his shield equipped on his left arm. The sword tore across the silver, but Sapnap paid no attention to it as he saw Vikk and Jerome limp away, Vikk knocked out and Jerome trying to get away from all the action with some blood gashing out of one of his legs. Around them, more soldiers fell to some unseen force, a magic spell here and there knocking people out.

In the midst of all the battle, a large tornado of dark magic erupted right in the middle where Dream, Preston, and Wilbur were fighting. The latter two dove to opposite sides to barely avoid the mysterious magic spell, but Dream got caught up in the blast, disappearing out of sight in the dark smoke. Sapnap stopped moving entirely in horror, the sounds of battle fading out as people turned, everyone distracted by the new arrival in force. An uneasy quiet settled over the clearing as Preston and Wilbur both rose to their feet, trying to identify the newcomer that had interrupted their battle.

As the tornado faded out, Dream toppled from his pegasus, both he and the animal falling to the ground from being whirled in the sky. Though beforehand Dream had only suffer some minor injuries, the tornado had drained him immensely, and the disoriented elf slammed into the ground with a large _thud_ echoing throughout the clearing, most likely breaking a bone as well. The symbol of the sigil flared up above him, most likely indicating that the curse had protected Dream from dying or fatally injuring himself. Sapnap glanced back toward Bad, whose jaw was dropped open in terror, and the human ran toward Dream, Sapnap doing the same. Out of the dispersed swarm of fairies, George also emerged, flying toward Dream as fast as he could.

"Dream!" Sapnap hopped off his horse as he arrived in the clearing, rushing over to his brother. The sigil on his arm pulsed weakly, and a small jolt of pain ran through his arm. Ignoring it relentlessly, he stood around his brother, trying to see the severity of the wounds.

While he was checking up on his brother, Preston had narrowed his eyes and summoned a Thoron spell in hand. "YOU! Who's there!?"

In the smoke of the damage caused by the black whirlwind, a figure appeared. Clothed in full-purple along with wings that seemed to creak and groan like armor, the fairy held a dagger and was covered in grime from all the chaos he had caused. He gritted his teeth, cuts and bruises all over his face but the rest of his body relatively unscathed. Sapnap recognized him immediately, vaguely remembering their encounter long ago. "It's you!"

Preston seemed to recognize the figure as well, his eyes narrowing. "I remember you. You were the messenger!"

"Oh, it's you. _TapL._ " Wilbur sipped a vulnerary as he brandished his rapier. "What are _you_ doing here? Where are the other two?"

TapL didn't say anything. The ominous silence that had come over the battlefield slowly dissipated as a murder of crows flew out from the woods on the left, soaring over the plains like a black cloud fleeing from a danger worse than death. Sapnap glanced upward, the sun no longer so friendly as a cold feeling washed over him like a warning.

"Over there!" A distant elf called, and everyone whirled toward the direction of where the elf was pointing.

One moment, the speck seemed far away, but within the next second people were screaming and diving for cover as the arrival of the Ender Dragon slammed down into the plains. She threw back her head and roared, her screech causing the ground to rumble and for everyone to try and shield themselves. George dove over Dream, protecting the latter from a sudden wave of dust. As the Ender Dragon slammed her claws back into the ground, Sapnap could get a clear look at the rider on her back, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Why hello there, everyone!" Techno cackled maniacally, spinning his axe in the air gleefully. "Sorry to crash your party."

"What happened to him?" Bad whispered. "He sounds nothing like how we met him last time."

"Where's Jschlatt?" Preston asked, but Wilbur held up a hand, and Preston closed his mouth. The fairy king stepped toward the Ender Dragon, hand tightly gripping the rapier in his hand. "Techno. That's _enough._ Why have you come?"

"You can't tell me what to do!" Techno laughed, and Sapnap saw the Ender Dragon rear her head back, magic beginning to manifest in her maw. "Watch out!"

Seconds later, the Dragon spat out large spheres of purple clouds, spreading across the plains like wildfire. Sapnap grabbed Bad's wrist as he veered to the side, narrowly missing a sphere. As each one landed, they exploded on impact, splashes of a strange substance littering the battlefield and poisoning the air. Some unlucky soldiers caught in the impact fell to the ground, choking from the toxic atmosphere.

With everyone scattered, Sapnap could barely see. He hung tight to Bad, gripping his wrist like a lifeline. In the midst of all the smoke, the dragon let out another breath, this time her breath being a bunch of purple particles meshed together into one blinding beam. The plains shuddered like an earthquake, Sapnap struggling to keep his balance as the Ender Dragon tore through the ground, ripping her way across the battlefield. He closed his eyes, not wanting to look at all the destruction.

When the dust settled and everything was clear, there was a gaping crack in the middle of the plains, leading downward into darkness. Some people had already been vaporized from the blast, their ashes scattering in the wind. The dragon flew in the air, Techno and TapL on her back, dancing to one side as to show off her work.

From where he had fallen, Dream shakily got to his feet. His ankle was twisted in the wrong way, and his body sagged as if ready to fail him, but the sigil on his arm worked in his favor for once, pulsating harshly as it struggled to keep him alive. George grasped his shoulder, helping him up as Dream stared up at Techno, Sinmara in his hand as he tried to get closer to the fairy. "Tech...no..."

"Dream—" Sapnap let go of Bad's wrist, following his brother toward where he was stumbling closer to the crack in the ground, Bad right behind him. He stepped in front of his brother, back facing the chasm as he tried to stop Dream from moving on. "No! You can’t take him on now!"

"Move," Dream murmured, his eyes unfocused as if floating in and out of consciousness. George glanced upward, eyes widening as he saw what was about to happen. "DREAM!"

Before Sapnap could react, something flew over his head and slammed right into both Dream and George, purple balls of energy sweeping them off their feet. Both flew backwards from the force of the impact, upward toward the skies and out of sight. Sapnap's eyes widened in horror, but he was interrupted by a scream of "SAPNAP!" from behind him.

He turned around to see Bad wobbling at the edge of the cliff, having flinched from the sudden attack too harshly as he tried to grasp something to keep him aboveground. Sapnap instinctively lunged as Bad lost his footing, the wizard screaming his name. As he dove closer, he noticed his other foot had not landed on the ground to propel himself further, and he gasped out a "Huh!?" before realizing what he had done. "No...no!"

He twisted midair, watching as the Ender Dragon loomed over the remainder of those aboveground, roaring in triumph. Techno was laughing in delight, preparing a hailstorm of spells as Sapnap watched the sky above him become smaller, his hand reaching for a ledge that wasn’t there.

"AAAUGGGHHH!" With a final scream, Sapnap and Bad both fell into the chasm below, the warmth of daylight fading away as both plummeted toward an endless bottom and to their certain death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what have i done
> 
> thank you guys for all the kudos and comments, it means a lot to me :)
> 
> updates will be every friday only from now on!


	31. Lost Requiem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle turns against Techno and TapL. Tommy decides enough is enough, and decides to take action on his own. In the meantime, Bad and Sapnap finally wake up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 7000 hits! thank you guys for sticking by :) schools been beating me and im already failing a class frick, but im working hard to get back on track! sorry this chapter took a while, i got demotivated a lot but then i got some new ideas and everything went wOOSOH
> 
> on that note, this chapter makes the book 100k words! so many words holy crap. i had to check and i saw that i have the longest dnf fic here, which is fricking epic yo. im trying to beat my friend's 193k word count on a fe fanfic but ofc theres no way i can actually do it. maybe. maybe not idk 
> 
> song inspo: fe fates - past light (calm)

"Bring them out," Wilbur commanded, his words echoing in the horrified silence that had filled the battlefield at the disappearance of Dream, George, Sapnap, and Bad. His soldiers, shaken but attentive, nodded and ran off. Techno reared back, planning to head back after them, but Preston stepped into his path, Woofless by his side. Nearby, CaptainSparklez flew down, sword brandished and ready to strike.

Techno waved his hand, a ball of magic energy materializing in his palm. Out of the ground, smoke filled the area, creating monsters of an unnatural kind. With long arms and legs, black leathery skin, and glowing purple eyes, the entities rose up, maws open in aggression as they rushed toward the soldiers.

"Endermen!" Bajan yelled, recognizing them immediately. "Be careful; they can teleport!"

"Projectiles won't work here," Wilbur muttered. He glanced over at Preston, conflict in his eyes. After a moment, he shook his head. "Right now, we have a bigger threat. For this battle, we continue together."

Preston's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't hesitate. "Right. We need to stop the Ender Dragon before she decimates us all."

Out of the forest reaching toward Keldavegr, a strange growl roared as large machinations rolled into the clearing. Their bodies were plated with metals of all kinds, emblemed with the Keldavegr symbol as one arm was made of a large retractable hand whilst the other was a glowing-red sword. In the hand arm, magic came together to create a spear of light, and the machines roared toward the dragon, swords and spears raised to take her on.

"Golems," Preston muttered. "Never thought I'd see them in my lifetime."

Techno was no longer smiling, instead focusing on the battle with the golems. TapL had slid off the Ender Dragon's back and was now running toward them, knife in hand. Woofless unsheathed his whip, running forward and lunging toward the fairy, the two engaging in a dangerous fight. "Find the others!"

Preston barely had time to react before someone pushed him aside—Wilbur—and he stumbled to the ground, sword nearly clattering out of his hand. He got to his feet, turning around in momentary anger which quickly faded into surprise as he saw the emperor with his rapier, barely holding his ground against an enderman. Preston didn't hesitate, spearing his sword through the strange monster, not watching it dissolve into ash.

"Don't thank me," Preston quickly interrupted before Wilbur could say anything.

"Wasn't like I was going to. Captain, find Seapeekay and man the ballistas!" Wilbur waved the general off, and Preston watched the fairy go.

"Ballistas? Came prepared, didn't you?" Preston wiped the sweat off his brow, armor in tatters. "Enough chitchat. Let's fight!"

The golems roared toward the Ender Dragon, swords slashing the air as magic attacks slammed into the dragon, sending her back slightly. She screeched in anger, a ball of poison leaving her mouth as it landed on a golem, easily wearing away at the armor and turning it into dust. One golem got close enough to try and spear the Ender Dragon with its lance, but the light bounced off the scaly hide of the dragon, having no effect as it was soon slain by a slash of Techno's axe, coated in the same poison as the dragon's breath. The rest of the golems continued their efforts, at best giving the dragon a distraction to keep her away from the remainder of the soldiers as they continued to fight against the endermen.

One glanced in Preston's direction and disappeared immediately. Having grown accustomed to the sound of the teleportation, he turned around to see the enderman lunging toward him with its maw open, lanky arm ready to strike him across the chest. He ducked, the wind whipping around his ears from the force of the blow above him as he lashed out with his sword, the blade ripping through the enderman's chest like paper. The enderman refused to give up, instead spewing out a couple of poisonous particles that singed Preston's crown and hair, burning through the metal as Preston reared back, holding up his shield to block a kick from the aggressive enderman. Around him, the rest weren't faring as well, numbers quickly being lost on both sides. Bajan was healing everyone as fast as he could, ignoring the endermen entirely as he tried to save the lives of others around him. Woofless and TapL were sparring dangerously, the former's whip flying in all directions whilst the latter dodged everything swiftly, lunging here and there for an attack. Wilbur was also fending off endermen, and Purpled had finally made a clear appearance unlike Pete who was still in the shadows. Vikk and Philza were both nowhere to be seen, too injured to continue. Preston could only hope both of them were safe.

His ears nearly blew themselves out as a loud _BANG_ rang throughout the clearing, followed by the whistling sound of explosives flying through the air and slamming into different mobs of endermen, sending them flying everywhere. In the distance, large cannons appeared, filled with dynamite as CaptainSparklez and Seapeekay guided their soldiers, clearly much more organized than Preston's armies were. He made note internally to add on these strategies later, if—no, _when_ he would make it out alive.

Though try as they did, even the reinforced arm-power wasn't enough. The golems fell as quickly as they came, their steel plating and magic swords not enough to break through the dragon's skin. For every enderman that died, twice the amount followed. The ground was no longer swarmed by dead bodies, instead covered by the crowd of endermen threatening to decimate anyone in their path. CaptainSparklez and Seapeekay both ran out of dynamite, glancing at Wilbur in a panic. The emperor himself seemed to be on the verge of collapse, but the fire in his eyes was enough to keep him driving forward. With an almost-feral growl, he lunged toward another enderman, angrily spearing it with his rapier before it could teleport behind him.

"Retreat!" Preston yelled just as the dragon roared again, the ground rumbling under her screech. "Just get out of here! We can't defeat them all!"

Wilbur whirled toward Preston, anger in his crazed expression. "Are you _leaving me for dead_!?"

"Father Sky hell no! It's too dangerous to stay—" Preston was pulled back by Woofless, who had managed to disable TapL momentarily to escape. "Come on!"

Wilbur watched Preston be dragged away, rage in his eyes. Quickly, however, he was snapped back to reality when a random soldier pushed him aside—whether it was fairy or foe, he couldn't tell in the heat of the moment. A poisonous breath slammed into his savior(? enemy?) as they screamed before dissolving in the purple smoke. Wilbur stumbled away, feeling the burn of the poison on his back as he took flight. As he rose from the ground, he could see Techno smiling at him as if he finally had some sort of purpose, a damning clarity in his gaze. He lifted his arm, preparing for another onslaught, but Wilbur decided not to engage, turning away from the prince as he ushered everyone else away, the Dyslor Plains left in a stalemate.

_______

"Tommy," a voice called out.

Tommy glanced upwards to see Sylvee, his body hunched over the desk in the corner as he read upon the missiles that his ancestors had made. Since everyone had evacuated underground, he had been busy assigning everyone different jobs to keep everyone alive. Those proficient in medicine were healing burns, tending to medicinal plants and keeping people alive. Their small armies, a measly number of around one hundred, were assigned to keep guard duty outside, making sure to be on the lookout for more missiles. Farmers tended to cacti, and masons were working to dig out a river before so fish would come by. The missile was at the center of it all, the beacon glowing brightly to provide light. It would activate at Tommy's command, but the current leader didn't know what to do with it yet.

"Hey Sylvee." Tommy vaguely knew Sylvee as a seamstress and mason, but otherwise didn't see her much. Often however, she would come to check up on him. Though they didn't know each other very well, Tommy was secretly grateful that someone was still looking out for him, treating him as an equal instead of royalty. He didn't have a lot of friends, and the few that he did have were long gone—either left or were dead. "What's up?"

"Are you alright? You've been staring at the same page for over half an hour now," Sylvee murmured in concern. "Is this because your brother's not here?"

"No, it's not that," Tommy reprimanded. "I've been trying to figure out the missiles, and they don't seem that difficult, but I have no idea where to put them. It's not exactly helping that Purpled cut all connections to me either."

"Yeah, that's fair enough. But he's doing this for us, isn't he?" Sylvee tinkered with the tassels hanging off her dress. "After all, none of us really liked the way Keldavegr ran things. He's fighting for our freedom."

"That's true, but I feel like we're just...sitting ducks, you know. We're not doing anything to help, and I want to be able to do something. Pay him back for forgiving me," Tommy muttered quietly under his breath.

"Well, you're our leader. What do you think is best for us?" Sylvee asked.

"I don't know!" Tommy exclaimed in exasperation, pressing his fingers against his temples in frustration. "I always thought I had more time to learn how to become a good leader, but I never thought I'd be the ruler of Lofnheim so quickly. And even though it's a temporary arrangement I still don't know what to do. I don't know how to lead anyone. I don't know how to do this!"

"Tommy, calm down," Sylvee urged, raising her hands in a futile attempt to calm Tommy's outburst.

"No! I can't stay calm; I need to be doing something useful," Tommy grumbled. "Let's see...how would Wilbur think about this?"

"Wilbur? He's the one we're going up against." Sylvee shook her head in confusion.

"No, no, I meant his way of thinking. How would he go about handling this war?" Tommy crossed his arms, contemplating his choices. "When I was younger, Wilbur came to visit. I didn't know we were a vassal state. I thought he was the best leader I've ever met. I aspired to be like him, to master his way of thinking. So I'm trying to do that now."

"Alright...what's your plan?" Sylvee asked. "We're here to support you, no matter what. You have us."

"We need to cut off their main supply," Tommy decided. "Wilbur would definitely have somewhere else to plant their supplies, since keeping them in the empire would be too risky. Since we just got nuked, it's evidently not us, and most of the territories of Osiadira aren't fairy-friendly, except for..." At the realization, Tommy snapped his fingers, formulating a plan in his head. "Sylvee. I got it."

"What? What is it?" Sylvee pressed for answers, but Tommy had already risen from his seat, running toward the beacon in the center of the underground hideout. 

"Sylvee, get me a map. I know where to send the first missile." Tommy grinned, holding out his hand in expectation. "Miraga Valley...here we come!"

_______

"Sapnap."

His muddled brain couldn't register who was calling him, his body aching like a thousand bee stings. Though he was laying on hard, uneven ground, his body refused to get more comfortable and sit up. His mind was fading in and out, floating between the lines of consciousness and subconsciousness. It was almost as if he were in some sort of dream. _Yeah, that's probably it. I'm just dreaming._

Seconds later, memories of what had happened before slammed into him like a tidal wave. The battle. Techno's return. Dream and George being thrown into the sky. And he and Bad falling down the chasm, the last shreds of daylight disappearing from their sights...himself blacking out from being in the air so long.

He shot up, and almost immediately fell back down from the sharp jolt of pain that went up his spine. Clutching his head, he groaned in agony, trying to gain his surroundings. The figure in his blurred vision reeled back slightly, surprised by the sudden movement.

"Bad! Bad, is that you?" Sapnap rasped out, his voice scratchy and choked from a lack of water. 

"Yeah, it's me. Are you alright?" Bad asked worriedly, watching as Sapnap slowly regained his vision. "The fall was really nasty."

"What about you?" Sapnap grumbled immediately, taking in his surroundings with surprise as his voice faded out. 

The ground was made of reddish gravel, crunching under his feet and glowing with a strange magic, some of them with white spots embedded into their stones. Lava pools filled the area, dripping like waterfalls from the walls and pooling down into levels below, lava lakes everywhere. In the distance, strange creatures of many kinds lumbered about, minding their own business. Above, there was only a ceiling made of the same gravel, the crack from the Dyslor Plains nowhere to be seen. The arid atmosphere was simultaneously dry and humid, quickly procuring sweat from the elf. He fumbled around, finding his sword alright and his armor still intact. Turning around, he saw Bad in the same condition, his scarf in tatters and his clothing ripped here and there but his gauntlets fine and his armor still on. The horrifying part, however, was the blood dripping down from Bad's face, coming from an eye that was no longer there. The sight in itself nearly made Sapnap vomit, but his concern overwhelmed the nauseous feeling. 

"Bad...what in Father Sky? What happened!?" Sapnap gaped at the human, horrified. "Your eye..."

"It's nothing," Bad brushed aside. "I already used my magic to heal it to the best of my ability—thank goodness _that_ still works here. But I went to get some food for us, since you've been knocked out for quite a while. I wasn't able to keep track of how long you've been out—my watch isn't working down here, and everything just looks the same no matter whether it was night or day." Bad ruffled through his belt, pulling out some pork. "I found some pigs...they're not the same kind of pigs we know up in Osiadira though. Larger and meaner, and with horns too. One of them, their tusks managed to get me, and..." He faltered, letting Sapnap fill in the blanks. "I managed to kill them all though. You should eat."

"You should patch it up," Sapnap murmured as he took the pork, the meat feeling like rubber in his calloused hands. "Then again, it's not like we have a lot of clothing left to spare for an eyepatch."

"It's okay," Bad reassured, though that didn't do much to sedate Sapnap's gnawing concern. "We should be more worried about where we are, and how to get out of here."

Bad's missing eye had completely distracted Sapnap from remembering that they were in a totally unknown location, and he glanced around again, staring at the lava. "Well, from the lava, it seems like we're underground...though I doubt we can build back up. I've never heard of or even seen this place..."

"Maybe we can look around, and see if anyone can help. Other than the pigs, I think most of the creatures here are neutral. Maybe they can give us a hint as to where we are." Bad stood up, dusting himself off. "You ready to go?"

"Already? I just started eating," Sapnap complained jokingly, and Bad cracked a small smile. "But yeah. Let's find a way out of here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now we're getting to the fun part fr
> 
> thank you guys for every kudo and comment, it means a lot to me :)


	32. Ghost Fingertips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur is on the verge of losing his mind, and Preston and the rest try to come to terms with Lachlan's death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 7500 hits YAY!  
> sorry for the short chapter though, been super busy with school. hope this filler chapter drops you some new information (or leave you hanging with more questions)
> 
> shameless plug again because im sad about it but if anyone makes fanart of this fanfic, the hashtag on twitter is #ADADfanart !
> 
> and for those reading ablstt, im going to update it soon pls
> 
> song inspo: fe fates - justice rip (roar)

The air was nothing short of grief and despair.

Preston was collapsed in his chair, wrapped up in enough bandages to seem like a mummy. His crown, having gone lost in the battle, kept his hair from staying in place, tufts of it flying out in all directions as if he had just gotten out of bed. Without his robes and sword at his side, he seemed just like any ordinary elf, worn by the toils of life. 

Woofless had the first seat on his right, not making eye contact with anyone as he examined a newly-formed scar on his arm. Thoughts were running through the retainer's mind, some of his self-doubt beginning to get the better of him.

Next to Woofless, Pete was sleeping, looking at peace for once in his life. Unlike everyone else, the mercenary didn't seem heavily affected from the effects of their previous battle, but then again, Pete was not one to reveal his emotions easily.

Across from Pete was Philza, who occasionally would light some sort of magic in his palm—fire, water, thunder—but whiff it out almost as quickly as he made it. The priest was lost in thought.

Bajan's broken stave was on the chair on Philza's left, a marker for the healer who was excused from the meeting to tend to the wounded.

Across from Bajan's seat was Purpled, typing away on what he called a "communication device" to Tommy, supposedly trying to reach Lofnheim with a frantic look on his face. Preston was too tried to try and question Purpled's loyalty, so he left him alone.

Lachlan's chair was empty, for obvious reasons.

Vikk had finally stopped crying, thought the general seemed incredibly tired. His eyes would slowly close before snapping back open, as if attempting to keep himself awake. Snapping his fingers occasionally to keep himself out of his stupor, he gripped the table like a vise.

"We literally just met them...and almost immediately, they're gone." Woofless was the first to break the silence that hung over the war court. "How many days has it been?"

"Three." Vikk rubbed his temples, his voice raspy. "Do you think they're..."

"No," Purpled blurted just as Philza had said "Yes." The two of them glanced at each other, surprised, before Philza motioned for Purpled to speak first. 

"Well...I mean, I just met them, so I guess I can't really justify my reasoning. But from what I've seen, and from the way they helped activate the beacon in Lofnheim, Dream and them...they're strong. I mean, half of them also have a curse of some sort, from the way their arm flared up during the activation—"

"Immortality," Philza interrupted. "It was an immortality curse. Left for too long, it would kill them. So when they came to my temple, I managed to suppress Dream's for a while longer. But I didn't do Sapnap's."

"Yeah, but the whole point is that they have it. We can at least confirm Dream and Sapnap, right?" Purpled protested. "And George is a nightmare fairy. Bad's a human. We literally know nothing about them. They could be alive out of sheer power. What if humans are secretly super powerful and—"

"And that’s the problem. We know nothing about them." Philza shook his head, disagreeing. "Not to mention, my magic on Dream's curse most likely wore off on him by now. And with the way he got caught up in that tornado thing during the battle, he should've died. Did you see when he got up? He looked like he just came from hell and back. His curse...it's ender dragon magic. Ancient, of course, and almost unreadable, but ender magic nevertheless. And now that the ender dragon is alive...she could have undone it."

With that revelation, Purpled fell silent, distraught but unable to argue back.

"Did we finish clearing out the bodies?" Woofless swallowed as soon as he finished the grotesque sentence, ashamed.

"We buried them in the nearest village," Vikk replied, tears threatening to spill over again. "Lachlan's body was left in the garden graveyard in the back of the castle. If only I had managed to kill Seapeekay...if only..."

"Is that what Lachlan would want though?" Woofless questioned, and Vikk stiffened, his fists clenching in anger. "You don't know _anything_ about Lachlan, Woofless! How could you say that!? Of course he would want to be—"

"Quiet," Preston groaned, and Woofless and Vikk both shut up, the air even more tense than before. Preston looked upwards, hand no longer on his bandaged face, and he let out a long sigh. "We've fallen so far from where we were from the beginning of this war. How many months has it been already? Two? Three? No, four. Almost five, at this rate.

"Let's lay out the situation." Preston rose up to a proper sitting position, albeit with a bit of difficulty. "Miraga Valley is still their primary source of supplies for the war, and seems to still be running. Lofnheim is out of commission, thanks to the "nukes" that Wilbur landed on them—though from what Purpled told me last night, Tommy might be able to do something with the beacon to help us. Both the Ialosian Plains and the Dyslor Plains have been at a stalemate for the entire war, and now we have a new enemy on our hands—the Ender Dragon and Prince Techno. From the way Wilbur was reacting, and from Vikk had deduced from CaptainSparklez at the Ialosian battle, it seems like the king is starting to become unstable. That's not good for us; it means he'll probably get impatient. With that in mind, it's safe to expect that they'll take advantage of our fear of the Ender Dragon, and try to land a siege on the kingdom."

"And if they do that, that's guaranteed a victory for them," Woofless muttered dejectedly.

"Are we going to surrender?" Purpled asked. 

"No," Preston replied immediately. "Even though we have such a huge disadvantage, we can’t surrender."

"But think of all the people that could be saved—the lives that won't have to be sacrificed for a war we can't win—if we do surrender," Vikk countered. "With surrendering, we could hope that Wilbur will at least spare us."

"Weren't you the one that said that you wanted revenge on Seapeekay?" Philza pointed out. Vikk stood up, pushing back his chair angrily, but Preston waved his hand, and Vikk diverted his attention again.

"Vikk, CaptainSparklez implied that Wilbur wasn't in his right mind, am I correct?" Preston questioned.

Vikk, now visibly torn, slumped back into his seat, nodding hopelessly.

"Well, from that, and from the way Wilbur acted during the previous battle, I'm pretty sure that Wilbur would kill us anyway if we surrendered." Preston shook his head, a wave of determination crossing his face. " _No._ A surrender would mean the complete genocide of the elves. I can't have that happen; I swore to protect the lives of the people, and I need to live up to that because of the mistakes I made as a king."

"What about the remaining soldiers?" Vikk questioned. "We lost so many people at that battle, and now without Lachlan, we're down to the size of only one army."

"The Shaft," Pete mumbled in his groggy state, having just woken up. Preston inhaled sharply at the notion, but didn't comment, and Pete continued. "There are so many people down there—people that can help us fight. I know you guys don’t get in each other's affairs, but maybe we can reach a compromise."

"What can we even do...?" Preston mumbled, contemplating the idea.

"Wipe their debts off," Pete immediately suggested. "I can go down there on your behalf."

"...Under normal circumstances, that would be too generous on my part. But we're on the verge of death here, so I'll take it," Preston reluctantly agreed. "Philza and Vikk—you two go to the coastline, try to recruit as many people as you can. Recruit _anyone_ —whether or not they are capable, they will become capable enough. Don't turn down a single offer. Pete, you go to the Shaft and try to talk with everyone there. Purpled, you're going to temporarily take Lachlan's place. Actually, strike that—everyone in the war court can now be considered a general. Bajan included," Preston finished. "As for Dream and their group, they're up to fate's hands now. We can only pray that they are safe and will come back to us eventually.

"With that, meeting adjourned." Preston closed his eyes, his bandages creasing here and there with the movement of his body. "I'm going to nap."

_______

"Fuck!" Wilbur screamed, throwing an empty vulnerary against the wall. The glass shattered, splaying in all directions as Wilbur's fists shook in rage. His sword was scattered on the floor, worn out and on the verge of breaking. His breath came out in short gasps, as if he were hyperventilating.

Walking into the throne room, CaptainSparklez stopped moving as he saw the state of his emperor. "Your Majesty?"

"Don't get any closer, you little shit," Wilbur hissed, CaptainSparklez flinching at the sharp language. "Leave me alone!"

"Uh—Do you want to talk about it?" CaptainSparklez asked tentatively, unsure of what to say. He shifted his feet backward slightly, and Wilbur's head snapped toward his direction so sharply it was almost as if someone had cracked a whip. One glance at Wilbur's dilated pupils and orange-colored irises was enough to tell CaptainSparklez everything. "Your Majesty, the sickness—"

"No!" Wilbur hissed, falling to his knees in pain, clutching his head. Tears pricked at the edge of his eyes as he gritted his teeth. The orange color in his eyes faded away for a moment, and he collapsed to the ground, sobbing. CaptainSparklez immediately rushed to his side, lifting his head up.

"Your Majesty, you have to find someone who can treat you—" CaptainSparklez began.

"No! No, there's no way to cure it. I'm alright," Wilbur spat. "I just—I can control it. It's just...I can see my father and brother egging me to continue, to keep fighting. I have to fulfill their duty! It's up to me. And I need to control Techno—He's spiraled out of my clutches, that bastard of a cousin—"

"Your Majesty," another voice spoke mockingly. CaptainSparklez turned around to see another figure, smoky black and unable to define any sort of features. There were black wings like bats unfurling from his back. 

"Who are you!?" CaptainSparklez hissed.

"None of your business." The smoky figure cackled. "The gods from above are dead, thanks to me. I assume the puppet is already being put to use?"

"Yes," Wilbur gritted out. "But how come the Wither hasn't helped us at all? What are you doing?"

"Well you see, some...important people entered my domain. As such, I have to focus my efforts on wiping them out. Can't have them roaming around, that cursed elf and human..."

"Elf and human?" CaptainSparklez put two and two together, and it clicked. "Sapnap and Bad!? Are you saying your domain is down that gigantic crack in the plains?"

"Silence," the figure thundered, and CaptainSparklez shut up, eyeing the figure with suspicion. "Anyways, once those two are taken care of, the Wither will get back to work. Trust me."

"I don't," CaptainSparklez muttered pettily, but the figure didn't hear. Wilbur had no reaction, his face hidden by his hair. The figure merely laughed again, an invisible lip curling. "I actually like this guy! Much more interesting than the past couple of emperors."

Wilbur's head shot up at that last sentence. "Wait, you mean this hasn't been the first time?"

The figure didn’t answer, still laughing as he waved his hand and disappeared from view. The air still felt chilly, but CaptainSparklez could only feel the angry heat of rage from Wilbur, the emperor shaking in his grasp.

"Once I'm done with Hyllifold...you're next."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh intensifies
> 
> thank you for all the kudos and comments! they're much appreciated


	33. Whimsical Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and George wake up in a completely unknown place, finding themselves in the comfort of someone's home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 8000 hits wowee! thank you guys for reading this far, I hope you'll still enjoy all the content to come :)  
> school is a p a i n  
> this chapter is filler again lol but at least we get more lore hehe  
> #ADADfanart on twitter for fanart; and my twitter handle is @cordeliasept, same as here :D
> 
> song inspo: fe3h - teatime joy

For the first time in forever, Dream's dreams were different.

Instead of a bloody Dyslor Plains, with fires raging around him and the screams of the fallen echoing around him, he was instead at the shore of his seaside town, staring out into the sunset at the lapping waves, watching the water wash over his feet before drawing itself back to sea, as if it were calling for him. 

The village behind him was barren, empty of any sort of life. Houses were built and laid there, but they were empty, as if people had never lived there. The protective cobblestone watchtower was void of any use, its crossbows sitting at the top of the small fortress untouched. The small canoes that were used to row out to the farther ends of the shore and fish were pushed against the sand, the nets neatly folded as if they had never been used.

"Dream," a familiar voice called behind him, and Dream turned around, finding himself face-to-face with George. Almost immediately, something was off about George, but Dream couldn't place his finger on it. "You alright?"

"Are you..." Dream hesitated, unsure of how nightmare fairies worked. "Are you in my dream or is this all just a figment of my imagination?"

"Oh, it's the actual George. Don't get mad;" George immediately replied defensively as Dream narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I didn't take your nightmare away. I just overrode it for tonight. I tried to find something happier, but not many of your memories were associated with happiness. In the end, this was the only thing I could try to conjure up. Some parts of it are based off of your memories, but the rest of this landscape was created by me."

"So...you're controlling this dream?" Dream asked.

"Well, pretty much. Though normally, it shouldn't be possible that my magic works so well with yours. While mind magic doesn't work on you at all—not that I've tried, it's just that I literally _can't_ —your dreams seem to bend to my will. Almost like you were looking for something to be happy about." George watched Dream's expression flicker between resentment and disbelief, unsure of whether or not to leave.

Instead, Dream turned back to face the ocean, stepping back and sitting down on the coarse sand. "Join me."

George sat down next to him, staring at the lowering sun, the warm glow of sunlight making the entire dream almost seem like reality. Dream found his shoulders relaxing at the calm quietness of it all, the silence broken only by the small waves gently crashing onto the shores.

Dream glanced over at George, trying to figure out what was different, before realizing that two things were missing.

"The eye of ender and your wings...they're missing." Dream couldn't exactly comprehend George without the eye-of-ender on his forehead, and without the circlet George's bangs fell down in front of his face, more messy and unkempt. Without the wings, George could've easily been mistaken for an elf, were it not for his smaller stature and delicate features (even though Dream knew that was merely just a facade for the fairy's true strength). 

"Really? I haven't even noticed that," George exclaimed with genuine surprise. He felt the back of his body, marveling at the loss of flight, before murmuring quietly "Maybe I'm trying to escape reality too."

Dream dropped the conversation at that, not sure how to respond. "Do you not like being able to fly?"

"No, it's not that. I just...feel like the 'fairy' aspect of me isn't...complete. Like I'm a fairy, but not a complete one." George frowned, rubbing sand between his fingers. "I don’t know; it just feels like something is missing about me. Was I always a fairy? Are nightmare fairies even natural? They just came out of nowhere one day and no one really knows where they came from. I don't know. I just feel like the nature of being a nightmare fairy isn't right to me."

"Are you seriously having an existential crisis right now? I thought you made this entire dream to calm yourself down," Dream replied irritably. "Stop fretting about it and just relax."

"You're one to talk," George poked back, but he was smiling, and Dream knew that the fairy (?) was just teasing at that point. Silence washed over the two again, both encased in their own bubble of thoughts. Dream's thoughts soon began to wander and fade away, the landscape around him becoming dimmer as he succumbed back to a regular sleep.

_______

"You're awake!"

Dream groggily rose out of his slumber, rubbing at his eyes and squinting from the bright flash of sunlight. For the first time in a very long time, Dream felt...at ease. Refreshed. As if he was back to being young again and wasn't two thousand years old and harboring a curse that kept him alive and also caused him so much pain. Even in a totally unknown location, he still felt incredibly safe.

_Wait. Where am I?_

Dream fully woke up at that point, glancing around to try and figure out where he was. At the moment, he was laying in some sort of bed, propped with five different pillows and covered in a thick blanket. A window was right next to him, streaming in sunlight. He was in a room in a house of some sort; made of wood he could vaguely recognize as oak. Unlike most houses he had seen, there was a large amount of space, his room particularly covered in a round carpet along with a desk pushed to the side and a dresser near the door. On the ground next to him was his armor, taken off and polished to a pristine shine. On top of all the armor was his diadem and his mask, layered on top of each other like two sacred relics.

Standing at the doorway was a tall figure, the man holding a tray of biscuits and tea. He had brown hair and two differently-colored eyes, one a hazel hue while the other was bright green. He wore a simple shirt and pants, covered in a green apron that was embroidered with a bee. Wrapped around his arms and legs were vines, trailing up from behind his back to circle around his head. A grin on his face revealed slightly-jagged teeth, which completely offset the sunny mood that Dream was getting from the guy, but he had no time to dwell on it as the man came near. "I was getting worried about you."

"Who are you? Where am I? Where's George?" Dream asked, wary of the elf(? Fairy? He had no idea what species this person was).

"I know you have a lot of questions, but please eat something first. You've been out for almost five days—"

"WHAT!?" Dream's eyes widened. 

"I've been trying to heal you nonstop. It seems like my magic finally worked." The man sighed, pushing the tray onto Dream's lap. "You can eat these; they're not poisoned."

"How can I be sure?" Dream questioned.

The man picked up a biscuit, tearing a chunk off it apart before stuffing it into his mouth. As he swallowed, he gestured to the rest of the other biscuits. "See?"

Dream still felt unsure, so he decided not to touch any of the food. "So what's going on?"

"Well, first of all, you're in Eldingland, up in the north. I remember a long time ago, your brother came up here to gather some flowers to bring back to you. He told me a lot about your curse and how you're being hunted down by the fairies. Before he left, I promised him that if he or you ever came back, I would take care of you guys. So I'm fulfilling that promise right now." The figure tugged at a stray vine, his warm smile still on his face. "My name is Tubbo. If you're looking for your friend, the nightmare fairy, he's right next door. Still out cold, but alive nevertheless."

"Tubbo..." Dream ran the name through his mind, trying to recall if he had ever heard about the guy. "I think I vaguely remember you, but not enough."

"That's alright. I'm the last of my species anyway, so I'm bound to be forgotten." When Dream quirked his eyebrows, Tubbo clarified quickly for him. "I'm a dryad."

"A..a what?" Dream tried to pronounce the name of the species. "How have I never heard about this?"

"Well, Eldingland, like Lofnheim, is separate from Osiadira in terms of countries. Eldingland is all flower fields and bright because dryads and nymphs were the source of its life. We're all embedded into a different part of the nature here—from something as small as a stream to the ground itself. It seems pretty still to this day, but every dryad and nymphs has an expiration date. And though we can live for a long time most of the time...there's been something going on that's been killing more dryads and nymphs than ever before for the past couple of centuries. It's just me now," Tubbo answered dejectedly, before brightening up again. "But it's always good to have some visitors! Though you seemed incredibly beaten up when you got here—I mean, you destroyed a flower field with that giant ball of magic, but it's okay!"

Dream reached toward his ankle, finding only the dull afterpain of having his ankle twisted and his leg bent the wrong direction. He waved his fingers, marveling at how he had healed so well. "How long have you been treating me for?"

"Since you got here, so five days nonstop," Tubbo replied.

"I—Thank you." Despite having been healed mostly, he still felt disconnected, as if he wasn't completely recovered yet. Checking his arm, he noticed that the sigil was wrapped in a vine. "What is this?"

"Well, there was siren magic on it before, but it wore off. So I wrapped one of my vines around it to keep you from losing your arm." Tubbo frowned. "It's ender dragon magic, right? Why does it seem so off?"

"What do you mean by that?" Dream asked.

"Since we've been here since the beginning of Osiadira, we know ender dragon magic very well. The curse upon you seems to be ender magic, but...it's slightly off. As if it were copied from the original. Like a manmade or artificial kind of magic." Tubbo frowned. "Maybe this is tied into everything that's been happening here recently..."

Before Dream could ask what Tubbo was talking about, there was a loud groan from George from the other room, and Tubbo winced. "I didn’t get to patch your friend's wings yet. I'll be right back, and then I'll give you guys an explanation."

_______

"It's a good thing you're able to walk," Dream noted as George sat down at the bedside of his room. He took the tray from Dream's lap, indulging in a biscuit without a second thought. As he chewed, Dream spoke again. "You feeling alright?"

"As fine as someone with a massive headache could have. I probably got whiplash from being thrown into the sky so roughly." George winced before glancing over at Tubbo who was trimming a vine curling from his arm. As he used a pruning shear to slice off the plant, George watched with interest. "So you're...a dryad?"

"Yeah. Since no one really comes to Eldingland, no one really knows who we are, much less the history of this land. But long ago, after the Ender Dragon was defeated...some new force began to pop up. Weird plants and trees began to sprout up in Eldingland...like dark magic of some sort. Something we've never seen before. And it ate away at the life forces of my species. Streams were dried up, trees were uprooted and swallowed by the waves of magic. So many died...and the remainder gave up the rest of their lives to stop the wave of magic. They've been internalized into this large crystal that’s sitting in the middle of the Eldingland. That crystal keeps the land alive and flourishing, so that I don't have to power this entire island on my own. Eldingland is just a lavish graveyard." Tubbo's voice was unusually low and grave as he spoke about his history.

"Since then, things have been normal. But only about five months ago, something weird began to happen. The plants began to pop back up. I killed a good majority of them, but who knows what mushrooms or other weird things have been growing. Eldingland is huge; there's no sure way to figure out where everything is. The crystal still glows, but it feels...menacing somehow. Like something changed about it. I can't place my finger on it, but something just seems wrong. I'm still taking care of it everyday like I'm supposed to in order to keep this place alive, but I feel sort of guilty about it. Like there's something wrong." Tubbo shook his head in distress. "Anyways, what about you guys? What brings you here?"

Dream began to tell Tubbo everything, starting from when George had entered into his cabin where he and Sapnap were staying. Them trying to find a way to stop the curse on Dream and Sapnap, and the war that had broken out in the midst of it all. Them trying to run away, constantly chased by Techno and other fairies before finding Philza's temple, and having his curse suppressed before being trapped in a chamber. Them breaking out and running away to Lofnheim to escape the war, but realizing they were unable to run away and joining Purpled in his revolution. Lofnheim getting nuked; the five of them returning to Hyllifold. Fighting at the Dyslor Plains, where Techno returned with the Ender Dragon. A hot blast of magic, knocking him unconscious and throwing him into the sky, before waking up in Eldingland.

"So there's a war..." Tubbo murmured. "And the Ender Dragon is back? This isn't good..."

"Yeah. The Ender Dragon is being controlled by Techno and TapL, and we have no idea where they were. I don’t know if they're still at the Dyslor Plains. I don't know if Sapnap and Bad are alive either—or if _anyone_ else is alive. Did we lose? Did we win? I'm so lost..." Dream murmured.

"Time is hard to keep track of in here. It's a good thing I still have a calendar in the house, so you guys can keep an eye on that. But for the war...I can't help you on that one. I've been disconnected from the rest of the world for so long, I have no clue if anything will be the same." Tubbo shook his head sadly.

George had been watching their conversation silently, before speaking up again. "Dream, you wanted to escape the war so long ago. Had you come here only a couple of months earlier, I would've bet that you would stay here forever."

"Yeah...but the past couple of months have changed everything." Dream glanced at the diadem in the pile of armor, picking it up and feeling the edges. "Tubbo, do you do weaponry?"

"Yeah, how come?" Tubbo asked with piqued interest.

"Smelt this diadem. Make a dagger, or a charm, or whatever—anything but keeping it in its original form," Dream requested. He then reached over to the mask, feeling the new leather band that had replaced the old one before clutching it to his chest, handing the diadem to Tubbo. "I'm not gonna be the Dream from two-thousand years ago, not the one that was shunned all the time and hid in the shadows in fear of the system. I've changed."

For a moment, there was silence. Then George broke the tension, with an offhanded comment of "Great speech and all, but you're still bedridden."

"So are you," Dream snapped back, but there was no bite in his voice. "How long until both of us make a full recovery?"

"Er...quite a while. Some weeks more at the least." Tubbo frowned. "The internal damage was much worse than I thought when I first found you. Even though you feel fine on the outside, both of you guys are still quite delicate. Too much movement might cause ruptures or breaks, and it'll undo the work I've been trying for the past couple of days."

"We don't have a choice," George asserted, and Dream immediately agreed internally. "We'll stay with you then, if that's alright."

"Totally fine!" Tubbo smiled, before narrowing his eyes, ushering George up. "Now get off and get back to bed!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all kudos and comments are super appreciated and i love yall!


	34. Nigh Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad and Sapnap continue their dangerous trek through the new place they are in. Seapeekay and CaptainSparklez meet up in secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 8500-ish hits! yay we're almost at 10,000 and we're still going strong
> 
> more info and lore dropped here. might have to slow down a bit due to grades being shit and stuff :( but thank you guys for coming to read my fic it means a lot to me :)
> 
> **TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF IMPLIED SUCIDICAL THOUGHTS. You'll miss a bit of CPK's character if you skip it, but its not that big of a deal.**
> 
> #ADADfanart on twitter _wink wink nudge nudge_
> 
> song inspo: fe sov: disquieting steps (prologue) [bad and sapnap] and SMG - sad story [captainsparklez and cpk]

"How's your eye feeling?" Sapnap asked as they approached the large lava lake in the middle of their catacomb-like world. "You alright?"

"As good as I can get, I suppose," Bad responded reluctantly, his hand twitching as if he had the urge to go and touch the empty socket. "It just...feels weird. Everything is slightly lopsided now."

"You tell me," Sapnap sighed in resignation. He turned his attention past the lake. In the distance, he could make out the slight outline of trees, split in half by the lava lake that converged into a river. On the left side, the trees had a bright crimson color, the ground made of the same material, and some beings flew about--most likely some sort of fairy. On the other side, teal and aquamarine vines spiraled toward the ceiling, silhouettes of elves pacing around. Even from a far distance, Sapnap could vaguely hear their cries. "I think I see two forests up ahead."

"Oh, you're right," Bad murmured. "Is there any way to get past this lake?"

"If we run alongside the edge of these hills over here, I think we can reach both sides," Sapnap suggested. "Which side do you propose we go to first?"

"Well..." Bad frowned, squinting to try and make out the figures in the distance. "I mean with the exception of George, all fairies are presumably evil, aren't they?"

Before Sapnap could respond to that question, a ghoulish howl echoed through the catacombs, and from behind the hill of the right side a large figure appeared into view. A tangled mess of legs floated from under its cubic body, wavering in the heat of the lava and opening its mouth, a strange grey liquid streaming from its bright red eyes like tears. Moments later, three fireballs incinerated the red gravel to their right, setting it ablaze in flames. It's attention was directed straight toward them, and although their first attack missed, they were already preparing another, eyes and mouth closing and opening in sync.

"Well, that was decided for us," Sapnap grumbled. "Does _everything_ here want to kill us?"

"I don't know, but I'm not going to question that right now," Bad murmured nervously. "Come on!"

_______

By the time they had managed to crawl over the gigantic hill and over toward the forest, the creature had lost interest in them, floating away out of their sights. As Bad and Sapnap stepped into the new terrain, their boots squished against the layer of slime-like dirt below them, glowing a bright reddish color even more than the gravel they had just left behind.

Upon having reached the new biome, they could see everything much more clearly. The trees were indeed bright crimson, made of some squishy red material Sapnap touched hesitantly before drawing his hand away in disgust. On the ground, poking out of the sludge, were some bright red roots, dotted with circles and moving about in the blasting heat. Some of these roots were coming out of the unearthly tree trunks as well, which thankfully were just like normal wood, just tinged with a reddish hue. Maroon mushrooms splotched with orange dots scattered across the ground nearby the roots, and some vines were crawling up toward the tree leaves. Embedded on the sides of the wall, underneath some of the gravel, were bright red rocks that Sapnap immediately deducted too hot to touch. On the tops of some trees, there were glowing block of orange light, similar to the same color of the mushrooms below. The fairies Sapnap had seen in the distance were mostly unaware of their presence, save for one small one that flew toward them eagerly, skin dotted with red veins and eyes of amber color with bright black slits. Sapnap backed away from them immediately, but the fairy seemed too curious for their own good.

"Who are you?" The fairy asked, voice indicating they were a small male child. "You guys don’t have wings!"

"Shh!" Bad hissed, paranoid that the other fairies were hostile. Leaning down, he whispered to the child. "We're actually lost."

"Oh, you're lost?" The boy asked, curious. "Where do you come from?"

"Uh..." Sapnap hesitated, unsure of what to say. _Aboveground?_ He didn't even know where their original continent was—if they were still even in the same world. Nevertheless, he took a stab at it. "We're from above."

"Ooooh!" The boy perked up, wings fluttering in excitement. The action reminded Sapnap of George, and a pang of homesickness welled up in his chest at the thought of his brother and the nightmare fairy they had managed to befriend in such a short amount of time. He had no idea whether or not the two were alive, much less where they had even gone. Had Techno went to finish them off? _Was Dream really dead, after all these years?_

He dismissed the thoughts immediately, berating himself for thinking of such a thing. Right now, he and Bad had to get out and help Hyllifold win the war before anything got worse. For now, he would keep believing in Dream and George. 

"Sapnap?" Bad's voice broke through the elf's train of thought, and Sapnap blinked, snapping out of his daze. "W-What?"

"Go on, repeat what you just said," Bad encouraged the perky fairy.

"Our leader plans to take us up there one day! She's told us lots of stories about the aboveground, and I want to go up and see all the pretty plants and everything! I love the Nether, but this place can get boring sometimes...Oh! Right, this is the Nether! We live here underground in secret! Here, fairies and elves live together along with the dryads and sirens! Right now, you're in the crimson forest where the crimson fairies live. Most of us are united under the leader of the Nether; I can't say his name though, he has lots of his spies scattered around the world." The fairy leaned in, heat radiating off the veins that trailed up and down his skin before whispering eagerly. "But we're part of the resistance! We don't like our current ruler, so we're planning to rebel against his rule."

"The crimson forest, huh...What should I watch out for?" Bad asked.

"Oh, there's a lot of mean monsters! I mean, they might like us, but I'm not sure about you—Wait, is your eye okay?" The boy suddenly diverted his attention to the human, noticing the blood dripping from his eye. "Oh no! I'll take you to my mom—"

"Who is this?" A woman's voice interrupted their conversation, and the child fairy turned and seemed to beam at the sight of the other fairy coming up towards them. "Mom! I met people from above!"

"Above?" The woman asked in disbelief. She then glanced around, seeing if there was anyone nearby, before lowering her voice in an urgent tone. "It's not safe here for beings like you. We'll take you to our home."

"What's going on?" Sapnap asked in bewilderment.

"We need to go." His mom took his hand, the child silently protesting. Sapnap and Bad glanced at each other, concerned, before running after the fairies as the Nether let out its ghastly howl.

_______

"We're safe now." The woman closed the door to their hut, made of the same wood as the trees in the forest and locking it, not going unnoticed by Sapnap. The home itself was decorated by wooden pieces of furniture, some pictures of their family hanging on the walls, and hoglin jerky drying in the fireplace embedded into the wall. As the woman gestured for the two to take a seat, she began pouring both of them a cup of tea.

"You guys have tea here?" Bad asked.

"Incredibly rare, but yes." The tone of her voice indicated she wanted to drop the conversation immediately, and Bad relented. Neither he nor Sapnap shifted to sit as they watched the small family run about. The child came back with some crushed-up powder, glowing orange like the lava stream they had seen earlier beside the forest banks. "Put some on your eye. It should soak up the blood."

Bad forced himself to sit down on the wooden chair. He hesitated for a moment before nodding, and Sapnap took that as the cue to sit down as well. Carefully taking off a glove, Bad dipped his finger in the powder, unwrapping his blood-soaked cloth into order to dab it in the empty socket. As if it were magic, the blood seemed to drain itself into the powder, dissolving into nothingness quickly. Surprise overcame his expression, but he continued to treat his eye, until it was no longer stained with blood. The child had ran off and came back with a red cloth, wrapping it around his eye. As his fingers brushed against Bad's ear, he frowned. "You don't have pointy ears."

"Uh...I'm a human," Bad replied, which only made the child more confused. Before he could react, a cup of steaming tea was passed over the table, and the woman sat down. "I assume you have a lot of questions."

Sapnap nodded, and she sighed. "That's understandable. We have a lot too, frankly. How did you get here? Where are you from?"

"There's a war aboveground," Sapnap replied, trying to keep everything as simple as possible as he tried to recall the last couple of months. "The Ender Dragon came back to life, and tore a hole in the plains. Both me and my friend fell down it, and when we woke up, we were here. We're trying to get back."

"The Ender Dragon?" Surprise quickly fell over the fairy's face. She glanced over at her son, and for a moment Sapnap saw a glint of excitement. Worry filled his chest, but he pushed it down. He needed answers—he could panic later. "What is this place? Who's nice and who's not? Your son told us a little bit of the government, but—"

"Lots of mobs are hostile to outsiders—the hoglins are one." She winced at Bad's missing eye, sympathy washing over her expression. "Ghasts fly in the air, blasting fireballs if people get too close to them, and there are more that the leader is developing. It's best to assume that everyone here is willing to kill you—most likely out of curiosity." 

"How do we get out of here?" Bad asked.

"Well...we still haven’t developed a way to escape. But I'm sure if you head to the resistance leader, you'll be able to find something. Though it is a dangerous trek to her nether fortress," the fairy murmured. "Unfortunately, I can't accompany you. But I'll try to make sure no one from this forest comes after you."

"Thank you." Sapnap murmured, standing up. "We should probably get going, then."

"Take these with you," the fairy urged, taking a couple of strips of beef jerky and placing them into Sapnap's bag. Along with that, she shoved a couple of flasks of water that wouldn't evaporate in the heat, Sapnap clicking them into his belt. Along with that, she tossed Bad and Sapnap two bracelets, made of the crimson roots. "They indicate that you're a part of the resistance. Hopefully, people will continue to assist you."

"You're leaving so soon?" The child whined.

"I'm sorry," Bad apologized. "We don't have a choice."

"Here." As the fairy opened the door, she handed Bad a map, the human tucking it into his bag. As Sapnap glanced back toward the home, he felt a pang of guilt, seeing the tea untouched and the warmth of the home leaving him. He shook it away, along with the worry, and turned away, following Bad out of the home and back into the unfriendly environment of the Nether.

_______

"Why'd you call me here?" CaptainSparklez asked. He twirled around, staring at the gazebo and then the garden, full of overgrown plants and flowers from being untended to thanks to the war. The sky twinkled above him and Seapeekay, the moon smiling down upon him as if there was nothing wrong with the world. In the gazebo itself, Seapeekay had been standing in the middle of the engraved circle, eyes full of weariness and stripped completely of his armor, wearing only a tunic and shorts. On the bench was his lance, cleaned and left empty of blood from the previous battle.

CaptainSparklez had passed by Seapeekay the other day in the armory, hammer in hand, smashing his dagger to pieces with angry tears running down his face. As he had watched, Seapeekay screamed his best friend's name, whirling around in an angry panic, hammer causing sparks to fly as the silver shattered into pieces, multicolored in the sunlight and cleaned to a shine. With the look in Seapeekay's eyes, CaptainSparklez knew all he saw was blood. When Seapeekay had enough, he had tossed the hammer away carelessly, picking each separate piece up and chucking it into the fire. Emptiness filled his body, eyes devoid of anything as CaptainSparklez couldn't watch anymore, running away at a quick pace. That night, Seapeekay had requested they meet up in secret at the gazebo three days later. 

"I wanted to talk," Seapeekay said, his voice hoarse and empty.

"Sure. What's up?" CaptainSparklez immediately bit his lip at the question—he already knew the answer.

"I don’t know if I can do this anymore," Seapeekay croaked. His gaze was turned down at the ground, unable to look at CaptainSparklez in the eye. He then took a deep breath, before going off on what would probably be the longest speech CaptainSparklez had ever heard.

"When I was younger, when I was an elf and I was living in the village, I was so happy. I had no idea what I really was, or who my real parents really were, or where I even came from. I was best friends with Lachlan. We were like...we were like soulmates. Of course not romantically," he added quickly, "but as best friends who would never leave each other's side. I used to be told lots of stories about soulmates, about how they were rare and they were able to form such a strong bond with each other, they could use it as magic in order to protect each other no matter what. I always felt that way with Lachlan—content, happy, and not caring about anything in the world. We were planning to grow up and become heroes of the village, to protect our families and continue to be the caring people that we wanted to be. We didn't care about the outside world—so as long as our little bubble of a village was happy, we were fine.

"Then I found out I was a fairy. I didn't even notice. I was so terrified, when I turned around in the mirror one day and wings were poking out of my back. I was cast out of the village. I was sent away by my stepfamily, who didn't want to see me again, but still tried to give me something in hopes that I would stay alive. I never got to see Lachlan again. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I just left...and soon a mercenary group found me and took me back to the kingdom. I was given another family, another place to stay, but it was so, so cold. Hyllifold was a comfort to me, but Keldavegr was like ice. Every house was focused on trying to become higher in the hierarchy of this ruined empire, to try and reach a noble status in order to survive. As I was an adopted child, people didn't care for me, especially not my family. My older stepsiblings were in line for arranged marriages, and were planning to become one of the nobility. That was all my family cared about. They barely cared about me, so I had to learn everything on my own. I would run to the libraries and stay there for days, studying. I would stay up at night, standing in our backyard, trying to learn how to fly. I heard so many stories about your dad, CaptainSparklez, and I wanted to be as strong as he was. When I got older, I took up the lance, wanting to fulfill the promise I made to Lachlan, even if we were so far away from each other and I was certain I would never see him again. I vowed to become the hero we wanted to be. In that way, I took up heavy armor as a result, even though the fairies looked down on me for trying to become stronger. They had always assumed that physical strength was for elves. But I wanted to prove them wrong.

"Wilbur soon heard of my efforts and he took me in as a soldier. My family was more than happy to let me go—but I didn't care. They weren't a family to me...my only family was that family back in the village, and Lachlan. I continued to train. Sometimes, I cried at night, thinking about how much I missed Hyllifold. I thought the estate I lived in in Keldavegr was already cold, but the castle itself felt so devoid of anything. Empty. I rose up the ranks, became a general, and continued to train people below me. Some didn't have anywhere to go. Some were training to achieve their ambitions, like me. I didn't know what to say to them. I understood them too well, but I was never good with words. Soon, you joined me as generals, but you were even more distant than I thought you'd be. Your father was _my_ idol at the time. I wanted to desperately get closer to you, but I could never say anything because you were always too busy.

"This war breaks out and everything goes to hell—Techno abandons the empire, Wilbur launches an attack on Hyllifold, and all I can think of is 'please let Lachlan be safe. Please let him be safe.' I was sent to Miraga Valley, my army called to build a fortress there to hold the supplies needed for the war. But then, not long after your battle with Vikk, Hyllifold retaliated. Attacking me. And at the forefront himself, was my best friend.

"I was so happy at first, but then I realized what that meant," Seapeekay admitted. "He was riding a pegasus—a flier like me. At some point, I had wished to be a flier. Now I'm a flier, but at what cost? I lost everything that day—Lachlan told me to fight him, to be the hero that he wanted us to be...except we were against each other. In the back of my head, I could hear fate laughing at me. Reveling in some tragedy that was my life. I drove Lachlan away, but it tore me to see that he had become a general like I was. A hero, like we had always wanted to be. When I fought him again at the Ialosian Plains, I was already tired of all of this. I didn't want to fight. And yet Lachlan tried to rally my spirits, even as he had his axe drawn to slaughter me. It was ironic, wasn't it? Just like how you and Vikk fought. But unlike you, my bond with Lachlan was much deeper.

"I decided after that, I was going to make our next battle our last. I was ready to give up. I was so done with everything—with fate messing with my life, with being forced to fight Lachlan, with the way I was treated my entire lifetime. I was planning to die in that next battle at Dyslor. I was hellbent on it. No one seemed to notice my suffering—not even you. But I didn't care...the less that people knew, the better it would be. And when we finally stepped out there into the plains, I held my head up high, ready to go down. I kept trying to reach Lachlan, but he kept running away from me. But I got a hold of him, and we finally had our last showdown—I was so determined to make it the last showdown that would happen between us. Our history together, our bond as soulmates which I foolishly believed, was ready to be shattered and buried in the ground. And even then...Lachlan didn’t want me to die. He still believed in me, even after everything. He took that hit for me, knowing full-well he would be dead from that strike. In my moment of faltering strength, I was unable to stop him. And in the end, he was the one to die instead. By my hand.

"Vikk is determined to kill me, of course. Revenge for his best friend, his comrade, and his fellow general," Seapeekay laughed bitterly, before clenching his fists, shouting in rage. "Why was it him!? Why did _he_ have to die!? Why are we still fighting this stupid war!? I didn't want this! You didn't want this! _No one did!_ But like blind idiots, we continue to fight for our king, our oh-so- _lovely_ emperor that's going insane from his stupid fucking genetic illness! He took a pact with a god, a god that literally killed the gods that were watching us! People are dying for someone's delusions! No one's life is worth all of this madness! So _why do we continue to fight for something that isn't what we want!? Why am I still standing here, with the blood of thousands of people in my hands!? Those who had lives, those who had children and families and those who were fighting for someone they loved. For the country that they loved—not the country they were protecting without question._ "

CaptainSparklez gaped at him, shocked. "Seapeekay—"

" _Why didn't you help me at all!?_ You saw the bond between Lachlan and Vikk. Even though they weren't childhood friends, they continued to support each other through everything, and after death, Vikk was ready to avenge him. You never did anything for me! We've fought together, but we never have the communication we need! How will I know you will have my back in battle, when you don’t even talk to me in between them!? I—" Seepeekay's voice faltered, his hand momentarily unclasping as he stormed over to his lance, picking it up with relative ease. Without warning, he spun around immediately, lance pointed straight at CaptainSparklez's neck. The other fairy general nearly gasped in surprise, a trickle of sweat falling from his forehead. Seapeekay's eyes were hollow, filled with nothing but an endless rage. His hands were shaking, gripping the lance so tightly CaptainSparklez was sure it would break.

Before CaptainSparklez could say anything, Seapeekay lowered the lance, dropping it to the ground. Tears spilled out of his eyes, his whole body shuddering as he finally collapsed, CaptainSparklez barely catching him in his arms. As the fairy sobbed into his shirt, CaptainSparklez could only pat his back and hold him tight, trying to be the comfort he had never been.

"I'm sorry," CaptainSparklez murmured, his voice drifting in the small breeze as Seapeekay continued to wail. "I'm so sorry." His words felt helpless, so incredibly meaningless, because what could he do? He had been too late the first time. He had never noticed Seapeekay's suffering, and when he had finally seen it, Seapeekay had snapped.

Seapeekay didn't respond to him, and inwardly CaptainSparklez breathed a sigh of relief. Not sure what else to say, he continued off his last tangent. "No matter what happens, from here on, I'll make it up to you."

Seapeekay muttered something in his tear-soaked chest, which CaptainSparklez didn't quite catch. "What?"

"Do you think we can run away?" Seapeekay whispered so quietly, almost he couldn't hear it himself.

CaptainSparklez stared at Seepeekay's mess of blond hair, unsure of how to reply. He pondered over it for a moment— _was it possible?_ By the next morning, they could plan to pack their belongings, leave the castle, and run to Hyllifold. Of course they were war criminals, but Preston was kind, wasn't he? Would he spare them the taste of death? Could they try to assimilate into the elven life, even as an entirely different species? Vikk crossed his mind, his words echoing in his head from when they were children. The idea of a society where all species lived together in harmony, the angry past left behind them in an age of peace. It was too good to be true, but that was what Hyllifold was fighting for, right?

Then again, Keldavegr was trying to crush Hyllifold to pieces. Under Preston, CaptainSparklez doubted that the king would make such a move to try things. Even then, he had been asking for diplomatic connections, and Wilbur had responded with the tip of his rapier.

 _This whole war really is hopeless,_ he thought to himself.

Realizing that Seapeekay was still waiting for an answer, the general clutched his friend's tunic tighter. "I do. So let's fight, so we can end this war."

Seapeekay shifted as if about to protest, but the general was so worn out, he could no longer lift a finger. The two generals sat down in the gazebo, appreciating each other's company, and not before long, Seapeekay had fallen asleep, CaptainSparklez soon to follow. The night continued on above them, and a new resolve seemed to hang in the air. 

A tinge of hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally i broke 4,000 words in this chapter! the chapter title was "..." for a reason :D
> 
> EDIT: i changed it back bc it was bothering me too much lol
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated, fr. i love all of you guys :D, my twitter handle is @cordeliasept if you guys want to see or talk to me :D


	35. Blazing Moons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Pete tries to negotiate with the Shaft and Philza and Vikk leave for the coastline, Preston meets a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short update, but i've become busy again, so i won't be able to update next week (most likely) unless i get a stroke of inspiration. i've been having difficulties :(
> 
> anyways THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR STICKING BY ME! 
> 
> song inspo: fe3h - tearing through heaven (rain)

"You sure you'll be alright?" Woofless asked as Vikk patted Jerome one more time, ensuring everything was secure on the wyvern's back. "We're having good weather now, but you know how the seaside can be when it gets stormy..."

"We'll be fine," Vikk assured, glancing to the side where Philza was strapping on another supply bag to his horse. "By the time we come back, our numbers will increase for sure!"

"I'm more worried about you guys." Philza finished with the supply bag, turning back to Woofless. He glanced over where Preston was standing a little farther back, chatting animatedly with Purpled. Despite the past couple of days being incredibly exhausting, it seemed that the majority of the war court was in good spirits. Pete had went down to the Shaft to stay for the next couple of days, most likely gaining more of the trust before proposing Preston's solution. The castle was already quite barren, but with the lack of Philza, Pete, and Vikk as well, it would become especially lonely. Woofless was hoping Bajan and Preston would keep him company. He was a bit wary of Purpled.

"It's okay, we won't be lonely," Woofless protested, but Philza gave the elf a tight hug anyway. Woofless noticed that recently, Philza had gotten a lot more comfortable with the Hyllifoldians. _Pete's been working wonders,_ he thought to himself. But as he stayed in the embrace, Philza leaned close to his ear, whispering urgently.

"When we saved Preston, there was a jug of red liquid overturned on the floor, and the same liquid was dripping from his lip. While we were patching him up, it seemed like it was blood. I don’t know what they made him drink, but be careful." Philza's magic unconsciously weaved into his words, sounding like a command to Woofless' ears. Then, he let go, acting as if nothing happened, but with a knowing look in his eyes. Woofless could only nod as Preston and Purpled came back to them, smiles on their faces.

"I'm wishing you the best of luck," Purpled encouraged. "Stay safe."

"You too," Vikk replied, a small smile encapsulating his face as he and Philza both climbed onto their steeds, riding off into the sunset—one in the air, and one on the ground. Woofless watched them disappear from view, waving his goodbyes until they were completely out of sight, and then turned back to Purpled and Preston.

"Where's Bajan?" He asked immediately.

"In his office," Purpled replied absentmindedly. "He's—"

"Thanks!" Woofless breathed out, taking off immediately toward the castle doors. As he continued running, he couldn't help but shiver, a cold chill running down his back as he was sure cold and calculating eyes were watching him intently. He glanced back, seeing only Purpled and Preston staring at him with bewilderment, but turned around again and focused on finding the cleric. He was going to need a lot of help.

_______

As Preston returned to his chambers, the light nonexistent in the wake of the new moon, he stared at himself in his mirror, contemplating. His hair was unkempt and a complete mess, his crown missing from the battle at Dyslor and the blacksmiths having been evacuated. His armor slipped from his shoulders, clattering to the ground in a moment of vulnerability. His robes, wrapped so tightly around his body, were loose now, parts of it stained with blood. He hadn't been able to get his robes cleaned, with the constant pressure of being under attack nearly all the time, and everyone needing his attention at some point during the day. This moment of solitude was a rarity, but one he appreciated nevertheless. 

He blinked, and for a moment, he could've sworn he saw a shadow of a figure behind him, but then he blinked again and it was gone. Confused, he shook his head, noting the dark circles under his eyes indicating lack of sleep. Before he could get some rest, however, he needed a shower.

As he turned to go to his bathroom, he was met with the shadow once again. He blinked to try and will the vision out of his mind, but the shadow was persistent, standing there as if nothing could shake it. Preston waved his hand through the illusion, and his hand shivered as it passed through the shadow. Whatever it was, it was very cold, and very, very dark. He hesitated, unsure if it were some sort of enemy or not, and he tried to walk around it. The shadow stepped in his direction, blocking him from moving forward. He glared at the shadow, moving back the other way. Likewise, it followed. Without hesitation, he drew his sword, readying himself in a fighting stance. "Who are you!?"

The shadow said nothing, instead materializing into a shimmering, ghostly figure. It only took Preston a couple of seconds to recognize the attire and the face, and his eyes widened in shock. "No...there's no way!"

Unbeknownst to him, the figure was also holding a knife—one that was very much real. As Preston's eyes darted toward it, he soon realized what it was, and he lunged, his sword rearing for the ghost's heart. However, he quickly phased through the figure, and his entire body seemed to shudder from the cold that passed through his body. He whirled around, the figure already lunging for him with the knife in hand. Preston dropped to the ground and rolled to one side, nearly slamming his back on the bedside as a result, but he managed to get to his feet and dodge another lunge. He had no idea how to counter a ghost—he never even encountered such a thing, only heard of it in stories—and he was running out of ideas and energy very quickly.

A sudden idea came to his head, and he dodged to the right again, essentially making a circle with the figure. As the figure missed, he lunged for the lantern nearby, forming a Fire spell in his hand. Just before he could light it up, the ghost figure grabbed his cape (which he had neglected to think about) and pulled him back harshly, causing the lantern to fall from his hand and shatter on the ground. His Fire spell whiffed out into nothingness as he slammed into the ground harshly, the wind knocked out of his lungs. 

Above him, the ghostly figure (which Preston was sure of now was probably not a ghost) twirled the knife emotionlessly, and raised it above his head to strike. Preston feebly clawed for the figure's wrists, but he was unable to connect. In a desperate attempt, he resorted to what he did best—negotiation. "Why?"

The figure paused, and Preston waited for it's answer, hoping to stall for time. Though he lived quite far up in the castle, his room wasn't soundproof. The lantern shattering was quite loud, and he knew that sooner or later, someone would come to save him. It was hardly even midnight, after all.

"Orders," the figure finally spoke just as Preston heard footsteps from far down below. Before Preston could say anything, however, the figure brought down his knife, stabbing Preston square in the chest—not where the heart was, but right in the middle, in between his lungs and nearly toward his spine. As his vision blurred, he noticed there was no blood coming from his chest, and the figure was slowly disappearing. With a desperate cry, he reached out—and his hand slumped back to the floor, defeated.

_______

"Preston!" Woofless slammed the door open, eyes wide in surprise. "Are you alright!?"

Preston's chambers were a mess. Armor and sword were both scattered on the floor, along with shards of glass from a broken lantern that was only a couple feet away from where he stood. His hair was unkempt as if he had just been in a fight, but then again, they had all been in a fight only a couple of days prior, and this was the first time in a bit that they had gotten some respite from the grueling war. His robes were messy, and on his waist was a knife that hadn't been there before. Preston turned around, bright maroon eyes staring right back at Woofless. He cracked a small smile, full of weariness.

"I'm alright." Despite the attempted warmth, Woofless could feel nothing but cold. His eyes darted to where the knife was on his belt, confusion flickering across his face. "Where did you get that knife from?"

"It's a ceremonial knife. I found it in my chambers. Must've been passed down as a secret weapon for the king from generation to generation." Preston shook his head, seemingly no longer cold. "It's weird that it was in my room, though. Hyllifold's castle wasn't really built with lots of secret chambers."

Woofless pondered that for a moment, deeming it true. Back when Preston and Wilbur had been friends, they had visited each other a couple of times—mostly on continental holidays, such as Christmas. They were able to visit the Keldavegr castle, and back then the castle itself was known for its winding, long hallways and secret tunnels, leading from one room to another. But of course, times had changed, and things were different.

Realization crossed through his mind, and he glanced back at Preston. "It's November."

"Is it?" Preston's eyes widened in surprise. "Did the war really start in June? I haven't been keeping track of time, but if it's been five months, then...you're right. Christmas is coming soon, then. Do you think we'll be stopping the war to celebrate?"

"I don't think so," Woofless replied sadly. "It's too dangerous, and Hyllifold is already in a precarious position."

"Fair enough. Go get some rest," Preston replied with a soft smile, and Woofless took his order without a second thought. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Goodnight," Woofless answered. As he turned away, closing the door behind him, he couldn't help but feel as if something were wrong with Preston, but he quickly shook it off. Maybe the ceremonial knife story was supposed to be a secret for kings only. But then if that were true, why hadn't he heard about it in any history book earlier? Wouldn't have kings used it much earlier?

"Come to think of it," he murmured to himself as he headed back to his chambers, "The last time I had heard of such a knife being wielded was by one of our kings, but I thought that was buried long ago..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh
> 
> sorry for the shortness once again :(
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	36. Silver Stardust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Dream and George both rehabilitate, Tubbo tries to figure out whats going on with the crystal in Eldingland. Pete returns from the Shaft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, this is kind of a long beginning note, but yeah
> 
> first of all, we're very close to 10,000 hits, and im so thankful for everyone's who's come by and stuck with me, and have been patiently waiting for me to update. I missed last week due to quarterly exams, but with the improvement in my grades, i'm feeling a lot better about it. so thank you guys for your patience, love, and support.
> 
> second of all, the lack of music to listen to is demotivating me. nevertheless, im still pushing on, but the music may not be inspired by fire emblem as much (lol)
> 
> also the lack of fanart saddens me :( i probably shouldn't sound so greedy or frustrated, but sometimes when people say they'll make fanart and then three months pass with nothing in sight, it depresses me a lot. so uh, don't tell me you're going to make fanart if you're not going to in the end. im incredibly patient, but i don’t like being lied to.
> 
> (the hashtag, once again, is #ADADfanart on twitter. this is the only surefire way i'll be able to see it)
> 
> ABLSTT readers, sorry for not updating for a month. i'll be getting to that next.
> 
> I might switch to biweekly updates, but i'm not sure.
> 
> song inspo: fe heroes - book 4 serious theme

The next couple of days were like a fever dream. Dream could vaguely recall Tubbo coming in and out, carrying new roots or plants he didn't quite recognize in his hazy vision, his consciousness teetering in and out as he stayed in his sleep-induced state. Due to the nature of his sleep, he had no dreams to accompany him, and in the span of time that had passed, he had felt incredibly lonely without George in his dreams.

_I'm losing it, aren't I?_ Dream grumbled internally, recalling what he had said to Sapnap all those months ago when they were still going to Philza's temple. Blissfully unaware of the hardships to come. He really thought they were able to evade such a war, one that involved the entirety of Osiadira. He had mentioned to Sapnap that he had no interest in becoming friends with George, especially not when the fairy reminded him so much of his ancestor that had nearly cost him his life. Nor did he even want to trust the guy.

It had been five months since then. He couldn't tell whether or not his stance changed. 

Finally, after a couple of days of falling in and out of sleep, body aching everywhere, he actually woke up and managed to stay awake. Tubbo came in as he rose from his slumber, holding a box. Sunlight streamed through the windows, and Dream attempted to read the clock on the wall. 

"Seven in the morning?" At once, he winced at the sound of his voice. It was hoarse, hardly recognizable, and dry from a lack of water. On his shoulder, the curse pulsated quietly, most likely trying to keep him alive from losing all his body fluids. 

"How are you feeling?" Tubbo's voice wavered through his ear, the words barely sticking in his mind. It took him a moment to process what he was saying, but he managed to come up with an answer. "Decent. How many days has it been?"

"Five. Your friend is still out cold, but it seems like you're doing a lot better compared to the last time you were fully awake." Tubbo cheerfully helped Dream hoist himself up to a sitting position, allowing the elf to adjust the pillows behind him before placing the box in Dream's lap. "Open it."

"What's inside?" Dream asked warily.

"I finished what you asked me to do," Tubbo replied vaguely, but Dream seemed to catch onto his drift anyway, and he flipped open the box.

A sharp intake of breath ensued as he stared at the two items laid inside. The first, made with a gold all-too-familiar to his eyes, was a gold band, large enough to wrap around his neck snugly like a collar. In the middle of its engraved and intricate details was a carved symbol of Hyllifold's crest, jutting out from the band like a diamond in coals. From the sides were thin wings curling into the band naturally, feathery light and yet still durable at the same time. The second, however, was the familiar mask that he had been carrying all this time—the metal shined to a pristine color, reforged from a much more durable material and glistening in the sunlight. The band around the mask was made of leather at first glance, but upon peering at it more closely, it seemed that the remaining leftover gold had been spun into strands, woven into the leather like filaments. Not only did the durability seemed to improve, but the leather glowed as well, and it gave Dream a sense of comfort. The two items that still remained from those days, his mask from his hometown and his diadem from the castle, were still like home, but made anew.

"Father Sky, these look...amazing," Dream breathed. He reached over for the gold band, unclasping it and wrapping it around his neck. The gold was cold on his skin at first, but settled to his body temperature without a problem, and he found no hinderance on his breathing. He then slipped the mask over his head, examining the look from the mask itself. Despite still having its incredibly-small eye sockets and only a thin smile underneath, Dream could breathe perfectly fine and see outside with no problem, something that hadn't worked with the mask last time. "What in the..."

"One-way glass," Tubbo answered, seemingly already knowing the question Dream had been about to say. "It's a sort of new technology I learned from a friend that visited a couple of years ago...quite recently, actually. Skillful blacksmith, actually, but I haven't heard a word from him since. Then again, it _is_ rare I get visitors in Eldingland." Tubbo glanced away as if to say something else, but took it back at the last second.

Dream, oblivious, took off the mask with surprise. "I'm really out of touch, aren’t I?"

"I understand how you feel. After all, even though I'm not as old as you, I've still been missing out for a number of centuries," Tubbo sympathized. "The world just seems to work as such. No matter what, you can't live in the past. You can't stay behind, because the world will move on without you."

Dream's head shot up at those words, their meaning resonating in his head. Sapnap wouldn't have said anything of the sort, being in the same situation as he was, and isolating himself from Bad and generally everyone else in the world had left him in a bubble where he was alone in the wrong time. Hearing the words leave Tubbo's mouth made him bristle. Did the dryad not understand the gravity of his situation? He didn't have a choice, and he still didn't have one at the moment. How could someone say that to him so simply?

"You don't understand," Dream blurted, his words sharp. "Did you think I had a choice?"

Tubbo glanced over to Dream's arm where the curse was, hesitating for a moment as the words died in his throat, before shaking his head. "No, I suppose you didn't."

"Then don't try to tell me a silly piece of advice like that," Dream grumbled, shaking his head as his creased brows softened into a small sigh. "Sorry. I'm not feeling it."

"It's alright," Tubbo mumbled, but it was as if Dream had just drained all the life out of the dryad's expression. With unreadable eyes, Tubbo bowed quickly before turning away, leaving the room.

As Dream watched Tubbo leave, the sunlight bloomed onto his face, brighter than ever. But unlike a couple of moments ago, all Dream could feel was cold.

_______

The crystal shone in the middle of the forest, surrounded by an empty clearing ghastly bright with life. Butterflies and bird were scattered around the field, the grass seemingly alive as it tingled under his feet, recognizing his presence. The trees seemed to lean his way, rich dark oak lacking in decomposition, and thin leaves waving around as if it were paradise. Tubbo had never felt a place so warm and so cold at the same time.

The crystal itself was made of some unknown material to him, shiny enough to see his reflection in the mirror at a twisted and warped angle, like a mirror that wasn't quite right. It glowed a faint purple, occasionally changing to the color red before shimmering back to purple as if having an internal fight within itself. Roots tangled at its concave shape, sinking deep into the ground below with a faint pulse as if it were alive—which it was, thanks to Tubbo keeping the crystal alive for so long. 

Tubbo couldn't tell if he could sense his brothers and sisters, long dead and gone, anymore in the crystal.

He pressed his hand to the smooth surface, sensing the crystal hum to life at his presence. As if drawing him in forcefully, Tubbo found the vines wrapped around his body plunge into the crystal, seeping away at his life force. The once-searing pain, now a dull throb, coursed through his body as Tubbo held his ground easily, watching the magic flow into the roots of the crystal and down into the earth below.

Pulling away with a sickening lurch, Tubbo stumbled to the ground, watching as the vines that had been charred and burned away from the magic slowly grew back to normal, the crystal flaring to life as it gained a little more time to its lifespan. He doubled over on the ground, coughing, and reached for his torso, gritting his teeth.

He was losing time.

_______

"Welcome back," Bajan acknowledged Pete with a smile, leading the mercenary up to the meeting room. "How'd it go?"

"Not so great," Pete murmured, shaking his head in disbelief at what had occurred underground. "I'll tell you more when we get to King Preston and the others. "It's a good thing I don't get fazed as easily as I used to before. Otherwise I think I'd be stuck in a state of shock right now."

"Well, you sure are killing me with the suspense," Bajan joked lightheartedly, before realizing the implications of what he said, and shook his head with his voice faltering. "Probably not appropriate...my apologies."

"It's alright. We're all high-strung right now with stress. With so many people gone, it's hard to keep ourselves from relaxing." Pete arrived at the double doors, raising his eyebrows at the lack of guards.

"We sent them to the army. We're too low on numbers," Bajan filled in as he pushed open the doors.

The room, despite being lit with candles, felt incredibly void of anything. Preston was standing, facing away from his chair and staring out a window cracked open slightly, letting some fresh air in the stuffy room. Around his shoulders was a large cape, unlike the short one he had worn before, lined with black-and-white fur. His head was adorned with a new tiara for a crown, with diamonds embedded around its band. Sitting at the chair on the right was Woofless, face creased with a troubled look on his face, his whip lazily dangling from his hand. Purpled sat across from him, fiddling with his fingers and mostly unaware of how anxious Woofless was. That was it. There was no one else but the five of them.

"You've returned," Preston spoke warmly, but none of that warmth sunk into Pete. He turned around, and almost immediately felt the abnormality. Preston was dressed in darkly tinted armor, a sharp contrast to the bright steel he wore once before. The red cape had a royal blue interior, the two colors clashing harshly against the thick armor around the king. The sword he wore to battle was now accompanied by a sharp, thin dagger, brazenly out in the open for anyone to see. But the most disturbing part was the way Preston held himself. There was an air of confidence around the king that Preston never had before. He seemed much more ready to throw himself into battle, to save his people, to help. It was uncanny and completely out of character—though not completely unwelcome. "How'd it go?"

"Not great," Pete murmured. "The short answer: they aren't going to help us."

"What are the details?" Preston pressed.

"I went down, assimilated into their life with the help of my friends." Pete opted to leave out names, an unusual sense of distrust falling over him and Preston. "My closest friend...he has a high reputation within the Shaft. I laid out our plan with him and my other close friend, and they seemed welcome to the idea, but they were also skeptical of how the public would receive it if they were offered a complete reset. Being in the Shaft doesn't mean people have moved on from their crimes. And my friends, who were down there because of other reasons entirely, would probably never be welcome aboveground anyway thanks to the nature of their curses. They were willing to give it a chance, though. So I got everyone to gather around and I proposed the idea."

"And...?" Woofless was listening aptly, even more alert and worried than before.

"Chaos broke out. I don't understand why...but something shifted in the mood, and all of sudden, the skeptics were all over each other, trying to make heads or tails of the deal itself. A lot of people were against the idea, not wanting to give their lives for a cause like this. Fu—My friend tried to calm everyone down, but they ganged up on him. Soon, people were fighting over each other and then—and then someone died." Pete swallowed, shaking his head. "It wasn't my friends. But the fighting got even worse after that. I left as soon as possible. I don't know if they're still fighting."

Heavy silence fell over the table. Preston's expression flickered for a moment, but even the king seemed downed by the news. He sighed, running a hand through his hair anxiously—a habit that hadn't been there before. "We can't lose more people than we already need. Do you mind, er—"

"Going back down there?" Bajan seemed mortified by the idea. "With all the people fighting over each other?"

"I mean, Pete won't have to go alone. We can always provide a guard to protect him," Woofless suggested, though he seemed doubtful of the idea.

"No, bringing guards would only make them more suspicious," Preston countered. "It's best for him to go alone."

"But—" One hard glance from Preston shut Bajan up, the cleric relenting. Preston sighed, shaking his head. "Sorry, Pete. But this is urgent. Can you go back down there by tonight?"

"A-Alright." Pete murmured, unable to resist the king's orders. He peered around the room, eyeing everyone once more. Bajan, agitated at Preston's orders, paced around the same circle with a mutter. Woofless was fidgeting in his seat, and Purpled was silent, uncomfortable with the tension in the room. Preston didn't seem to let down, however, and Pete bowed. "I'll take my leave then, to prepare for tomorrow."

Preston's expression softened, and he nodded. "Of course."

_______

Not long after Pete had left the meeting room with a headache and a terrible mood, someone grabbed onto his wrist. Pete whirled around, instinctively reaching for his dagger with his free hand, but stopped as he came face-to-face with Purpled. He could never quite understand the elf, with an air of otherworldliness and an intense gaze that made even _him_ uncomfortable. "W-What?"

"We need to talk," Purpled asserted, jerking his head to the side to indicate an empty room nearby. Pete, understanding quickly, shifted to the right to enter the room, Purpled following close behind. As soon as the other elf had entered the room, Pete swiftly shut the door, locking it. "What's up?"

"Something's wrong," Purpled started off immediately. 

That was enough to confirm Pete's suspicions. "Preston acting weird back there, right?"

"Yeah. He's been like that for the past couple of days. According to Woofless, the night that Philza and Vikk left, something happened in his room—we don't know what it was, but when Woofless got there, there was glass everywhere and a dagger in Preston's hand that we never saw before. The same one hanging on his belt."

"You think someone broke in?" Pete whispered.

"I don't know. But ever since then, Preston's changed. A lot. He's all regal and proper and it's just not the same. Like yes, he's a king and he's supposed to act that way, but it's like the original self we saw of him is just...gone. I mean, I don't know Preston very well, since I've been under Wilbur's rule for so long, but I don't think he normally acts like this...I think? You haven't met Preston for long either."

"I haven't. I only started getting associated with all of this after the war started. He hired me. I'm just stuck here until he pays me." Pete shrugged. "I mean, I guess I do feel obligated to help out. Wars fuck up mercenary business bad; can't have my source of income turn to ash." At the sight of Purpled's mortified expression, Pete shook his head, waving his arms around. "That's not what I meant! I mean, yes I'm in this for the money, but also because the rest of my life depends on whether or not we win. That's enough reason for me to stay here. That, and I don't think Philza would be good with me leaving him behind."

"You two sure are a strange pair of friends," Purpled murmured. He sighed, reaching for his ring finger, but finding it empty as the bracelets on his arm jingled. "I guess I can't really argue against you. I've come of my own volition, and with my own purpose in mind—to get support for the Lofnheim revolution. In that sense, we're both selfish there, aren't we?" Purpled laughed, but it was hollow. The smile on his face dropped and he sighed. "I know we've gone off-topic, but I miss Tommy."

"Tommy...your brother?" Pete vaguely recalled hearing the name at the meeting before the battle at Dyslor.

"Yeah. He's back in Lofnheim, probably preparing the missiles as we speak. I hope he's okay. He doesn't have a lot of friends, nor is he close with any of the backbone support I usually get as ruler." Purpled bit his lip. "I've been communicating with him, and it seems like he's been doing alright now. But when we were younger, his closest friends were the strangest people that ever came to visit."

"Visit?" The previous topic now forgotten, Pete was intrigued.

"When we were younger, before the epidemic came, lots of people came to visit Lofnheim, mainly for some sort of agreement or deal my father was trying to make. Two people in particular stuck with my younger brother. They both came at different times, but they still made a huge impact on him." Purpled smiled fondly, as if remembering the memory. "When we were six, a fairy from Keldavegr came to the palace. Unlike most Keldavegrians, he was super kind, always telling stories about legends and myths and gods to Tommy. Tommy looked up to him like a second father figure. Looking back at it, the guy didn't seem so happy when he first came. But we were both sad to see him go. I don't know his name. I think he was 22? He would be thirty-two by now...I have a vague idea of where he is now, but otherwise I haven't really seen him since.

"The second was this dying creature—I say creature because it looked like an elf, but something was off—when we were around 12, and Tommy took him in. Fed him, took care of him. Watered him like he was a plant or something. Apparently, the creature had washed up on our shores after this terrible storm. Tommy was worried sick about him, but the guy assured him that he was stronger than he seemed. It turned out to be that way. When he had to go back home, Tommy was sobbing, and he _never_ does that. It was surprising, to say the least. The creature's name is Tubbo. I wonder if he's alright," Purpled wondered aloud.

Pete remained silent for a bit. "Is that why you've been so quiet since you've arrived?"

"Mostly, yeah. I'm not very good at socializing," Purpled confessed. Pete was about to interject, but the elf waved his hand dismissively. "But that's beside the point. We've gone off topic."

"Preston. Right." Pete scratched his head. "What do you expect me to do? We can't call him out on his behavior, since we don't know him well."

"Woofless is our ticket to confronting him. They've been stuck at the hip since forever, apparently," Purpled shrugged. "You'll have to go back to the Shaft no matter what, so you can try to convince them to help you with Preston. Meanwhile, I'll try to meet up with Bajan and Woofless, see if we can confront him now. He might be trying to split us up."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Pete asked.

"I should be asking you that," Purpled replied with a snarky tone. "Don't worry about us."

Pete was skeptical of the idea, but he couldn't think of a better plan. Then suddenly, a memory came to mind. "Shit! I almost forgot to tell you, but when Philza and I went to save Preston, there was a jug on the floor with a trickle of blood, but it was empty. There was also blood all over Preston's mouth, like he... _drank_ out of it or something."

"Slow-acting poison?" Purpled suggested.

"What poison changes someone's personality?" Pete shook his head. "No way. Despite the way we are, Keldavegr, Lofnheim, and Hyllifold all have the same amount of knowledge when it comes to brewing and potions. I doubt there's any slow-acting poison that would last this many months."

"I mean, we can't rule out the possibility. So many new things have happened—like the Ender Dragon, for instance. That alone is already enough to throw the world off-balance, especially with your gods dead," Purpled pointed out. He threw his hands in the air, frustrated. "Damnit! We're getting nowhere. Sorry for bothering you like this; I'm going to clear my head."

"No, it's fine. Let me join you." Pete watched as Purpled's expression shifted from exasperation to surprise, before melting into a smile.

"Alright, fine. Only if you let me get to test that wing thing on your back," Purpled bargained.

"Not a chance," Pete insisted, suddenly protective of his elytra, but Purpled merely laughed, and just like that, the tension in the room disappeared entirely. For that small moment, the war was forgotten as the two left the room, heading down to the training grounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're still here, kudos to YOU for being here and staying by my side. it means a lot.
> 
> kudos and comments are appreciated as always. im calling out all the silent readers here


	37. Withered Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TapL finally gains the courage to take action for himself. Sapnap and Bad, however, aren't faring as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are SO close to 10000 hits! once we get there, I might release a DTIYS on twitter for this fanfic in celebration, and will link it in the next chapter :) thank you for sticking by me once again!
> 
> School fucking sucks
> 
> song inspo: fe sov: those who challenge gods

"What the fuck!? Come on you stupid dragon, pull yourself together," Techno hissed to the large creature he was riding upon, TapL's arms hesitantly wrapped around his waist. Under normal circumstances, the prince wouldn't have minded, but as TapL continued to watch him struggle to steer the dragon with the reins, he knew Techno was getting antsy and frustrated. Truth be told, he was still recovering from the battle they had escaped weeks ago. The Ender Dragon was terrifyingly strong, but with the weight of two armies bearing down on her, even she had to fall back. Not long after the two armies had been forced to retreat, Techno only managed to get the Ender Dragon far enough before the entity was forced to lie down and treat her wounds.

The Ender Dragon rumbled in protest at Techno's increasingly-sharp jerks of the reins, but she complied. TapL was lost in thought, debating on everything that had happened so far. The battle, the way Techno had easily overpowered Dream, George, and Sapnap in comparison to the last time, the human getting involved in this whole mess, and how Techno had glanced over toward the fairy on horseback killing his own brethren and seethed in rage. A flash of familiarity had passed through his eyes, but TapL had no idea who he was.

"Techno?" TapL asked warily, worried that the prince would blow up at him. To his surprise and relief, Techno didn't seem to tense up at all, merely humming in response. "Who was that fairy back there?"

Techno stopped his hum abruptly, not turning to face TapL. After a moment of tense silence somewhat broken by the flapping of the dragon's wings, Techno finally answered, his voice heavy. "Philza."

"You've told me about him before," TapL recalled.

"Philza. I told him about my aspirations for taking down Dream--" Techno spat out the name like bile. "--and he offered to help me out. But in the end, it seems like he betrayed me," he grumbled, voice thickening. "Just like Schlatt."

TapL swallowed, noting how Techno had tensed up and was ready to lash out at any given moment. Deep down, despite the way Techno had treated him, he wondered if Techno had never been mind broken at all. Despite Techno's sudden bouts of anger and increased desensitivity, he was still able to think and feel as his old self.

On the other hand though, Techno had slapped him in the face--multiple times now--and had nearly left him for dead, despite having told TapL a good majority of his deepest secrets. Being hit with such anger had bitterly reminded TapL of his old messenger days, scorned and mocked and the pinnacle of brokenness.

"I'll keep moving forward." Techno's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and the prince seethed. "These betrayals will just be for naught. They'll soon see whatever they've done will just go to waste--like how the societies of Keldavegr and Hyllifold will be once I destroy them."

As if denying his request, the Ender Dragon suddenly bucked, nearly throwing both of the fairies off-balance. Techno tore at the reins, but the Ender Dragon seemed to be resisting more than ever, and with enough force, managed to throw them both off with ease, supplies and weapons tumbling down soon after. Techno managed to regain his balance easily, but TapL's wings refused to respond to him and he crashed into the lake below them, a flume of bubbles exploding around him in the impact. He barely managed to regain his surroundings and rise up to the surface before their backpacks and Techno's axe slammed into the surface of the water, effectively blinding him with another large splash of water.

Techno landed on the bankside of the lake, reeling in the backpacks and his axe with his hands. The Ender Dragon settled a little to the side of the lake, watching them warily. As TapL swam to the shore, Techno turned to the Ender Dragon in fury. "What the fuck was that for!?"

The Ender Dragon let out a low rumble, mimicking that of a laugh, before rising up from the ground, sneering back at Techno. She seemed to growl something that TapL couldn't understand, but Techno's eyes widened in rage.

"You _wouldn't,_ " the prince seethed.

"Techno, what's going—" TapL was thrown from where he has just risen from the ground back into the dirt by a loud roar from the dragon, her form taking to the skies with a gaze of contempt. Techno grabbed his axe, preparing to follow after her, but moments later her poisonous breath came hurtling down, and Techno had no choice but to dodge, the sphere of poison exploding in a flurry of purple particles as TapL rolled out of the way. When he got up again, the dragon was gone.

Moments later, a searing pain jolted through TapL's body, the fairy wincing as he gripped his shoulder. Having slammed into the water at such a fast rate had broke his left arm, and he nearly fell down to the ground again, his senses screaming in agony.

Techno was shaking, his hand gripping his axe so tightly that his fists had gone white. Before TapL could call out for him, the prince screamed, ramming his axe into the nearest tree with such force that the trunk was cut through like paper, the oak slamming into the ground at the wayside. Techno's breath came out in ragged gasps, his fingers clawing at the dirt in rage.

"Schlatt, Philza, and now even the dragon too." Techno reeled his head back, laughing in despair. "They're all leaving me, like they've always been planning...utter scum of the earth, those bastards."

"Techno—" TapL tried.

"You too?" Techno whirled around and turned on him, magenta eyes glowing in rage and body shuddering as if preparing to tear him apart. "You're going to leave me as well? Turning against me, a blind eye to everything I've done, after all that I've told you?"

TapL was about to protest, but the words died in his throat as he recalled what Techno had said to him long ago, to keep him from losing himself if anything went wrong. But _everything_ was already going wrong, and TapL didn’t know how to fix it.

"Well!?" Techno demanded, voice desperate and cracked. "What are you going to do!?"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" TapL screamed, the pain of his shoulder, the memories of the past, and the whole entire weight of the situation finally causing him to snap. "Get away from me! You're not Techno, you're not Techno, _you're not Techno anymore._ You've completely killed him! You're wearing his corpse!"

"Are you _delusional?_ " Techno's voice was of barely-quelled fury, the axe rising slowing from its resting position. "I've always been me! This has always been who I am! You've just been blind to it—like everyone before and after me! Foolish messenger," he spat, "did you really think that Techno you've been with this entire journey has been the same Techno that has treated you when you were younger?"

"You never tried to protect me, you never tried to do anything for me, and you've always excused it off as someone who couldn't do shit for your age. You never even spoke of the idea!" TapL gritted his teeth. "Maybe you should've tried to say something to your oh-so-lovely cousin that maybe would have DONE something!"

"Wilbur was a lost cause. I was just waiting to succeed him from the very beginning. But now everything's gone to hell," Techno laughed, pained and disgusted. "You're just like everyone else, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not! I can't fly naturally. You're not Techno!" TapL repeated the words again, lip quivering. "You're just like the rest of them," he realized, his fear turning into anger. "You're just like everyone who put me down, left me to rot, abused me for their entertainment...you've been a lie and you'll always be a lying, selfish coward!"

"Silence!" Techno commanded, but TapL refused to back down, not when he was this angry and worked up.

"No! I'm not going to stay quiet anymore! You've been doing nothing for me at all ever since you've made the deal with the dragon." TapL's heart was pounding, blood roaring in his ears. "Why would you have even done that!? You've been saying this entire argument that everything up until this point was a lie, but that's not true!"

"You're self-contradicting yourself, saying I'm not a lie but screaming that I'm not Techno," Techno hissed. "I made that deal for _YOUR_ sake!"

"And that deal has killed who you are—who you _were_ —and replaced you with some imposter," TapL retorted. "Schlatt was right to leave you—you've completely lost it and there's no way for you to redeem yourself!"

"I haven't lost sight of anything! In fact, my goals have never been more clear in my entire life," Techno hissed. "Once I obliterate Dream and his gang of friends, Keldavegr will collapse in chaos, and Hyllifold and Lofnheim will fall soon after. Then, when all of this is over, I'll rebuild everything from the bottom to the top, and fix everything that's wrong! I'm the only one that can do it, because I'm the only one willing to go this far for my ideals, for what I want...Wilbur's lost his way, Preston is a coward, and Lofnheim doesn't have anything left. You could've helped me! But all you've been doing is getting in my way. And I'm done now—I'm going to kill you, rip you apart with my bare hands, and hang your carcass from the gates of Keldavegr for _everyone_ to see!"

"I won't protect you anymore!" TapL grabbed his backpack, drawing his dagger as Techno brandished his axe. "You're not getting my help!"

"In the end, you were just like everyone else," Techno spat. "A lowly _traitor._ "

He then lunged, bringing his axe down with malevolent energy. TapL dodged to the side, nearly screaming as his left arm roared from the pain of moving too quickly. He hadn't even attacked, and he was already on the defensive thanks to his arm and his lack of energy from falling from the sky and screaming at Techno. The disadvantages he had severely outnumbered his advantages as he dodged Techno again, albeit more slowly. His lowered speed cost him a gash across his leg, and he knew he only had one option left.

He unclasped the plating around his chest, letting the purpur wings fall from his back. He had gotten used to them, and he regretted letting them go, but he had always been a grounded fairy, and he knew he would adjust back quickly. Besides, they were weighing him down, and the Ender Dragon was no longer on their side, so they would be useless anyway.

He ducked under another swing and made a break for it, not looking back as he watched Techno screech, but made no move to follow. Without sparing another glance, he raced off, stumbling into the forest with nothing left but his dagger and water-logged supplies. No direction, no purpose, nothing.

_______

"Is it safe?" Bad gasped, his breaths coming out in small wheezes.

"I think we're okay for now." Sapnap flicked his hand, and a Fire spell danced on his palm, illuminating the small alcove in the cliffside. The two of them had been running nonstop ever since they had left the stranger's home. The map they were given was detailed with information about the different biomes, as well as the species to watch out for, and the incredibly-vague directions as to where the resistance main lair was.

The biome they had just been in was the crimson forest, known for the hard-clad fairies that were nothing like the ones above, brutal in force and tough. Many were hostile to outsiders, and it was lucky enough that Sapnap and Bad had stumbled through a secluded section of that particular crimson forest. It was hotter than most of the Nether, which Bad could agree to as he was sweating like crazy. Only their dignity was keeping them from stripping completely to get some sort of relief for their skin.

The biome across from them was the warped forest, and it was pretty much the polar opposite from the crimson forest—the elves there were apathetic and docile, and the only dangers in the forest were the cries of endermen from ancient times, trapped in some sort of immortality. Despite that, the warped forests were thick and easy to get lost in.

The biome they were passing by now was the soulsand valley, which Sapnap recognized from his dream with Father Sky. Even as they treaded through, they took care to avoid the unpruned soil, as the untended patches cried out for their bodies and flesh, threatening to pull them under. Though there were no species living in the graveyard with greenish-blue skies, skeletons of the dead were roaming about, prepared to strangle anyone in their way.

To get to the resistance, Sapnap and Bad had to get past the crimson forest and through the soulsand valley, and then to a basalt delta—a steep and rocky terrain that was filled with dust—before going across a large lava lake to cross to the nether fortress. _It is made of red bricks, and you'll have to traverse the interior to find the entrance,_ the map noted. And they were supposed to do this whilst avoiding all the other species around them—ones that none of them wanted to engage.

Commonplace were the hoglins, aggressive tusked pigs that would provide them food if killed. Roaming the skies everywhere were the ghasts, large white cubic jellyfish that spat out fireballs which could be reflected. Less hostile were the zombified pigmen, incredibly-gross amalgamations of dead elf and pig alike, and unless provoked, would leave them alone. According to the map, they had yet to meet the magma cubes, large slime-like blocks with incredibly-hot skin native to the basalt deltas, and the blazes, flying fireball-spewing creatures that protected the nether fortress.

Stuff of more interest included the fact that most plants in the Nether, as well as the remains of dead mobs, were used for potions in the Nether, very similar to theirs and supposedly with better effect. According to Sapnap's recount of Osiadiran history, they had discovered the ingredients through creation from a mix of multiple ingredients. The history of the Nether, however, said that a couple of lucky elves learned to synthesize the ingredients aboveground, creating nearly-perfect copies of them.

With all that information squeezed into the map, along with instructions on how to tame a strider to cross the lake, there was little room left for the actual map itself, and it consisted of a squiggly line with marks indicating different biomes and a compass. Bad's compass wasn't working, but they seemed to be going in the right direction according to the map, so Sapnap wasn't too worried.

"When the map said this place was hostile, I wasn't expecting it to be _this_ hostile," Bad murmured in slight surprise, swallowing thickly. "We're getting so worn out and we can't even stop running for long before some mob finds where we are, or the horde of zombie pigmen come back." An unfortunate missed swing toward a skeleton back at the beginning of the soulsand valley had left an entire group of zombie pigmen forcing them to bolt.

"It's a good thing they can't run," Sapnap agreed breathlessly. "I'm going to actually have to take all of this armor off if I want to make it there."

"We need that armor," Bad countered. "I don't even have much armor on and I'm already dying of heat still. I'm surprised our water hasn't dried up at this rate."

"The canteens are blessed with magic, so that may be why." As soon as Sapnap finished his next sentence, he hissed, gripping his right shoulder. "Fuck! The curse..."

"It's acting up, isn't it?" Bad sighed in sympathy. "Philza mentioned you wouldn't last much longer before it started waking up as well."

"I mean, it's not as bad as how Dream felt...yet." Sapnap grumbled. "Man, I feel like a shithead of a brother."

"What!? Don’t say that! Why?" Bad immediately reached out.

"I haven’t done anything to help him, and I feel like with all the stuff I've been doing the past two thousand years he's just gotten more bitter and jealous of me. I should've pushed him more to get him some help. Being in the cabin was killing his sanity." Sapnap shook his head. "I'm getting sentimental for no reason. Forget it."

"Sapnap, that's not—"

"I said _forget it._ " Sapnap waved him off, clenching his jaw in guilt and pain, and Bad decided that Sapnap wasn't ready to completely open up yet. What he wasn't expecting was Sapnap to turn it onto him. "You still haven't told me why you're helping us."

"I—I'm not ready yet." Bad shook his head, repressing the bad memories beginning to resurface in his head again. "It's not a big deal anyways."

"It _is_ a big deal. You froze up back at Lofnheim when you saw the missiles. You've said it yourself that you didn't want us ending up like _you_ , whatever that meant. We care about you, Bad. We want to help you just as much as you're helping us," Sapnap protested.

Bad hesitated, but decided to avert the subject. "We're spending too long in here. We need to keep moving. I'm not ready to tell you; I've already said this so many times."

Sapnap stared at him a little longer, before relenting. "Fine. But for real, you owe me an explanation after we get out of here. Promise?"

"Only if you agree to tell me about your feelings as well," Bad countered.

"Sure, I'll take anything." Sapnap smiled, and the tension dissolved. Sapnap whiffed out the Fire spell, and the two climbed out of the alcove. Glancing around, it seemed like a good majority of the ghasts were far away, and most skeletons were out of their range. The bluish sky hung down upon them as Sapnap stepped back out onto pruned soil.

Bad led the way this time, footsteps crunching against the soil as he could hear the voices of the dead call out his name, begging him to join them. In this biome, even the ground was alive, trying to grasp anyone into their clutches, calling out for their souls. They knew he was a living being, an outsider from everyone else in the world.

Sapnap was close behind, and for a little while there was nothing, which Bad found strange. As he climbed up a hill, he saw a figure at the top of the mound, weeping. Upon closer inspection, Bad could see she had the telltale signs of an elf, but with skin tinged green and a more slender figure that was contradictory of most elves aboveground. Then again, it seemed that a lot of things were switched around in this Nether, and Bad had to be wary of whether or not this elf girl was a manipulator.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his sympathetic side taking over. Behind him, Sapnap had stopped and was watching in concern.

The elf lifted her head. She had shoulder-length black hair with blonde streaks and wispy bangs, and deep-blue eyes. She wore a halter dress of pure white, and sandals adorned her feet. Around her neck was a small stone of some unknown metal, and her wrists were covered in vines. Judging from the way she cried, Bad could assume she was a warped elf, though he had no idea what she was doing in a soulsand valley.

"Who are you?" A thick accent laced her words, soft and gentle.

"I'm..." Bad hesitated, glancing back at Sapnap for confirmation, and his companion shook his head. "We can't tell you our names right now, but we're here to help you."

"Help me?" The action came out as a question, as if it were a foreign term.

"Well, you were crying, and you're not in your biome, so I assume something must've happened," Bad deducted.

The elf was silent, but she spoke up again. "My name is Nihachu, but you can call me Nikki. I was on my way to...somewhere, I can't remember, and this overwhelming feeling of despair overcame me while I was on my way. That's why I'm crying," she explained as tears dripped from her cheeks. "Don't feel the need to comfort me—just because we cry does not mean we are sad."

"That's true," Sapnap agreed. "But an overwhelming feeling of despair?"

"I—I do not believe I was an elf before..." She frowned, scratching her head. "That's weird. I can't remember. I think I might be losing my memory." She turned back to them as if what she had just said was a minor inconvenience. "You aren't from here, correct?"

"How did you know?" Bad asked in surprise.

"You do not radiate the energy of the Nether. You are not native here." She shook her head. "I think...I think I _am_ losing my memory. Could you help me recall? I can go along with you—if you are going somewhere, that is."

"Er..." Sapnap paused, glancing at Bad. "Can you fight?"

"Yes," she replied without hesitation, and Bad could see it now—despite her initially-frail stature and soft demeanor, there was strength in her newfound conviction. "Please, let me go with you."

"....Okay." Bad agreed, and Nikki seemed to smile.

Moments later, the ground next to them erupted in blue fire, and Bad stumbled back from the explosion. "Ghast!" Sapnap yelled, jumping away from the fire and reaching out toward Nikki. "We have to go!"

Nikki took Sapnap's hand, pulling herself up to her feet, and she began to head down the other side of the hill, Bad and Sapnap following as the screech of the ghast roared around the valley. As if it were a calling, skeletons nearby raised their head at the sound, seeing Bad and Sapnap race through the soulsand with Nikki in tow.

"Sapnap!" Bad yelped as he cast a Wind spell upon the nearest skeleton, tearing its bones to pieces.

"I got you," Sapnap replied, turning around momentarily to reflect the next fireball from the ghast with his sword. The fireball missed it's mark, but Sapnap refused to relent.

As a skeleton neared Nikki, she raised her arm, and the vines on her arms suddenly grew, lashing out toward the skeleton and gripping it in a chokehold before dismembering it into three. Bad scrambled for an invisibility potion, finding the bottle in his bag, and drawing Sapnap near before slamming it onto himself, the potion splattering across all three of them and safely obscuring them from the mobs. They immediately lost interest, their supposed enemies no longer there, and went back to their mundane activity.

"That was too close," Sapnap hissed. "Is that your last one?"

"I think so. We need to be careful," Bad whispered. "It'll only last three minutes max."

"Why did you break it on yourself?" Nikki asked in slight concern.

"The soil is too soft for it to break on the ground." Bad winced as he pulled out a small shard of glass, letting it drop to the ground. "It's okay. I've already gone through a lot here. Let's keep moving."

Nikki seemed as if she wanted to protest otherwise, but Bad gave her no room for argument, and the three continued on their trek to the resistance lair, the Nether howling around them like a beast waiting eagerly for its prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> new characters! woohooo! i finished writing this at 1am and did it all in one day but hey it was so worth it
> 
> kudos and comments are appreciated as always! you know the drill by now lmao


	38. Following a Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CaptainSparklez wasn't expecting for Seapeekay to come back. With Pete back in the Shaft, the remaining three of Preston's war court confront him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY I DIDNT FINISH THE 10K HITS ART THIS WEEK, BUT NEXT WEEK FOR SURE. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR READING THIS I LOVE YOU GUYS
> 
> this was a super fun chapter ohohohoh yall are in for a suRpRISe
> 
> song inspo: fe sov -- from the land of resentment

With winter fast approaching, Wilbur, surprisingly enough, had decided to switch focus from charging forward and attacking Hyllifold to increasing the war effort and preparing everyone for December. Fairies in the castle ran amok, the stronger ones gathering firewood for the incoming cold while others hunted animals before they could go into hibernation. Visits to villages were commonplace now, with merchants eager to trade off their furs and goods for precious money.

CaptainSparklez and Seapeekay had both been assigned to keep watch over the castle and direct the denizens, Wilbur himself being stuck under the care of the best doctors of Keldavegr trying to keep the sickness in his body from getting worse. CaptainSparklez wanted to feel bitter about it, but could only feel remorse for not having noticed that something was wrong with Wilbur sooner. Every time he went to visit Wilbur, the emperor's mental state seemed more and more frail, threatening to break at the slightest touch. Wilbur still fought on, however, and continually rejected the ghosts only he could see around him when his emotions weren't getting in the way of his rationale.

Seapeekay, on the other hand, had gone enigmatically quiet after their talk. CaptainSparklez knew that Wilbur favored him more, and that made him feel even more worse. He would try to check up on Seapeekay, but the fairy always seemed to elude him, mysteriously disappearing whenever he searched for him as if purposely avoiding him.

Currently CaptainSparklez was in his room, scribbling down notes in a tactics book as his mind ran through the issues that Keldavegr were having. Despite the war drawing heavily in their favor, there were a large number of outside factors to worry about. The nation's own prince, Technoblade, had turned to the Ender Dragon and was running wild in Osiadira, having mass-destructed most of the Dyslor Plains and leaving the entire chokepoint at a standstill. Though Keldavegr had Lofnheim out of commission and Miraga Valley under their control, most of Osiadira's territory, save for the southeastern coast where Hyllifold was, was left out in the open for anyone's taking, leaving them at a standstill. With the lack of trade between the two countries and Lofnheim not responding, their supplies had to be moderated extremely well, and CaptainSparklez was worried about the sheer number of soldiers they had—even though many fairies had joined to fight in the frontlines, the lack of farmers and merchants was bringing the economy to a standstill. For a brief moment, he even considered breaking the forbidden rule to get help from the outside—but he pushed the thought away before he could even ponder over it more.

Keldavegr had limited options, even though they were trying to hide it. The Ender Dragon's existence wasn't helping either, and some soldiers had noted that Draconics had become more aggressive whenever a fairy approached.

As he wrote down another idea, considering the possible consequences before scratching it out and trying again with a modified version of the previous idea, he found himself beginning to give up. A knock was heard at his door, and he turned around, trying to keep the tiredness out of his voice. "Come in."

The face of a messenger poked through the doorway, her wings flaring out in urgency. "Captain, the mercenary group accepted our offer. The king wanted to let you know that he expects a verdict on the new strategy we've discussed today within a week."

"Alright, thank you." CaptainSparklez waved her off, and the door shut. He waited for her footsteps to fade away before sinking into his chair even further, burying his face in his hands. They were so close to victory, their future was on the cusp of becoming reality—so why was this so difficult? Why couldn't he think straight?

He recalled what Vikk had insisted on at the battle at the Ialosian Plains—a battle so long ago it felt like a dream. _Preston's willing to make diplomatic connections! It's Wilbur that's the problem here!_ Seepeekay's words from their last major interaction followed: _Why was it him!? Why did he have to die!? Why are we still fighting this stupid war!? I didn't want this! You didn't want this! No one did! But like blind idiots, we continue to fight for our king, our oh-so-lovely emperor that's going insane from his stupid fucking genetic illness!_

Both of them were against Wilbur's plans for the future. CaptainSparklez hadn't decided for himself yet. 

There was another knock on the door, and CaptainSparklez was about to turn him down when suddenly the person spoke, and his blood ran cold.

"Captain." It was Seapeekay.

 _What could he possibly want at this hour?_ As if compelled to do so, CaptainSparklez rose from his chair and opened the door.

He hadn't seen Seapeekay's face in a long time. He lacked his typical heavy armor, wearing nothing but a thin blouse and cuffed leather pants. His wings were heavily bandaged, Lachlan's final blows having done enough to permanently disable Seapeekay forever. Even though Seapeekay's wings were heavily protected, much more than any other fairy, he had still lost them. A quiet flame of rage sparked in CaptainSparklez's stomach before quelling from the somber expression on his friend's face. 

The fairy closed the door behind him before promptly sinking onto CaptainSparklez's bunk, a long sigh escaping his lips. "I'm sorry."

At once CaptainSparklez felt the need to apologize back. "No, I'm—"

"Stop it." Seapeekay's eyes were lifeless, as if he had nothing left to feel. He tugged at a disabled wing, a hollow chuckle leaving his lips. "I'm sorry for what went down a couple of weeks ago. I shouldn't have threatened you with my lance. It just seems like I can't do anything right, huh?

"It's like my whole life was centered on finding Lachlan again. Now that he's gone, there's nothing left of me. Soulmates are a fucking sham." Seapeekay closed his eyes. "Not being able to fly is...weird. But it feels so fitting. That the one who took down my wings is the same one who accepted me, wingless or not. Everyone else has been shunning me as a general, whispering behind my back, deeming me unworthy. Why does a pair of wings have to divide us so much? Isn't that why TapL ran away as well?"

CaptainSparklez didn't know how to respond, but Seapeekay was acting as if he was no longer there. "Anyways, I've decided on a plan, but I wanted your agreement first."

Now CaptainSparklez was getting anxious. "What is it?"

"I'm leaving," Seapeekay started. When CaptainSparklez furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, he clarified. "I'm breaking the rule. I'm leaving the continent. But before I do any of that, I owe you something for all the troubles I've been causing. So I went down to the missiles and prepared the other one that we've been saving, and I'm going to launch it tonight."

CaptainSparklez's eyes widened. _"What!? Where!?"_

"Hyllifold, of course," Seapeekay shrugged. "Gives you more time to focus on conquering the different parts of Osiadira. While they're busy trying to gain more war effort, you can take that chance, and win the war. Then after, you have all the time in the world to kill Wilbur."

" _Kill Wilbur!?_ Are you insane!?" CaptainSparklez shook his head. "You want _me_ to kill him!?"

"Obviously he's an incompetent ruler. You can easily take over. With Keldavegr spanning the entire continent, you can also destroy Technoblade and the Ender Dragon as well." Seapeekay smiled as if it were a foolproof plan.

"And what if we can't kill the Ender Dragon? Only the gods were able to take her down, and even then it took us too long! Not to mention that—that gigantic crack at Dyslor, Dream and George and Sapnap and their group, and that figu—" He stopped himself before he could reveal too much. "That's beside the point! Why would you even consider that idea?"

"There's nothing left for me," Seapeekay said. "I can't feel anything anymore. Should I be sad? Angry? What am I supposed to do in this situation where I have no purpose and no identity? I'm bored."

Seapeekay's apathy appalled CaptainSparklez. " _Bored!?_ "

"You wouldn't know. You're too busy." The tone of Seapeekay's voice intended for the words to come out as bitter, but CaptainSparklez could hear nothing but emptiness. "You should consider this a thank you."

Seapeekay stood up, and CaptainSparklez shot up to his feet as well. "When are you leaving!?"

"Right after I launch the missile. It won't take long for Wilbur to figure out what happened." Seapeekay glanced at the clock on the wall, reading _10:38pm_ in elegant handwriting. He opened the door, waving a slight goodbye. CaptainSparklez wanted to reach out, to say something, but his voice died in his throat and the weight of his feet kept him from moving.

"It's not your fault," Seapeekay reassured. "It's never been."

And the door shut.

_______

At around 11:20, CaptainSparklez heard the launch of the missile from far away, and he closed his tactics book, staring out the window toward the city. Lights were barren now, many fairies having gone to sleep and the remainder not soldiers in the war. He wondered if anyone had heard the explosion. 

_______

At around 11:42, a couple of messengers burst into his room, panic in their eyes. "Captain, Sir Seapeekay has gone missing!"

CaptainSparklez, feigning shock and worry, immediately ordered them to alert the others and set out on a search. He directed them to go through the city first, drawing them away from the seashore. He could only pray that the fairies would listen to him.

_______

At 12:14am, the messengers popped back up into his room. "We saw a ship leaving the coast! The fairies were about to go after it, but then some large lighting bolt from the sky came down and caused a huge wave to wash over it...we think it got turned over. Should we go after it?"

CaptainSparklez glanced back outside. Not a single cloud in sight.

"No, that's alright. Get some rest. I'm sure Seapeekay will come back to us eventually." CaptainSparklez ushered them out, much to their dismay, and shut and locked the door.

He whiffed out his lantern, climbed into his bed, and stared at the wall for a very, very long time, wondering in horror what exactly had gone wrong.

_______

"It's been a while now...Preston doesn't seem to be showing any signs of his old self. You know, he kind of reminds me of someone familiar..." Woofless scratched his head, unsure of what to think.

"But you still can't pinpoint the name?" Purpled questioned.

"It's not that I'm bad at history!" Woofless protested, before Purpled stared at him longer, and Woofless eventually relented. "Okay. Maybe I am. So what!?"

"Come on, at least give us some description," Bajan begged.

The three were gathered in Bajan's room, right at the ground floor of the castle where Preston was far away. Once Purpled had brought up his suspicions to Woofless and Bajan, they had immediately agreed to investigate. Pete couldn't join them, having been sent back to the Shaft, but the three weren't going to stop. Woofless had brought back up what he had seen at Preston's room, and though all the evidence was cleaned up now, they had been watching Preston for the past week to determine that he really was off.

"Well...he still holds regality. Lots of nobles and royals have had that back when we were a hierarchy. Not to mention he acts like a king naturally--as if he were already one beforehand. I mean, that's true, but Preston originally was never _kinglike._ He was always casual around us, but right now he's ordering us around as if we were strangers to him. It just seems suspicious..." Woofless shook his head. "Argh! I can't make heads or tails of any of this!"

"Heads or tails...?" Purpled tilted his head.

"Hyllifold metaphor. But that's beside the point." Bajan tugged at one of his sleeves. "That dagger you mentioned him donning when you first found him that night--maybe that has something to do with it?"

"Oh true!" Woofless frowned. "That blade was pitch-black, with a diamond hilt. I've never heard of a ceremonial dagger like that. Besides...I've already seen Preston use a ceremonial dagger before--ages ago of course, but it was clearly gold!" He huffed. "Why didn't I realize this sooner!?"

"So that dagger wasn't ceremonial. Then where did that dagger come from?" Bajan frowned. "I've never seen it anywhere before--though with a dagger like that, it seems like it wouldn't be in the armory anyway."

"In fact, I don't even think I recognize that material," Purpled muttered. "It kind of looks like something from Miraga Valley...Wait!"

"What! What is it?" Woofless pestered.

"That dagger is made out of basalt," Purpled realized. "It's the rock from Miraga Valley on the ground...I never would consider it as a weapon material though. It erodes very quickly, so it doesn't last for very long periods of time."

"But that dagger looked brand-new...Preston hasn't left Hyllifold at all. So where could the dagger even come from?" Bajan shook his head, frustrated. "It just doesn't add up!"

"This is different though," Woofless refuted. "There's a couple of possibilities here--either Preston has gone insane and completely lost it after Lachlan's death, or there's some sort of imposter pretending to be him, and he's gotten kidnapped or something of the sort."

"Second option sounds ridiculous," Purpled reasoned.

"Yeah, but with the Ender Dragon back and all, nothing is farfetched," Bajan countered. "On the contrary, I agree with the second option. It just doesn't seem like Preston would act like that. Actually...do any of you guys remember what Preston was doing last before heading back up to his chambers that day?"

"Oh, he was going to take a nap and a bath. He was super exhausted." Woofless recalled. "I was the last one to see him go."

"And he came out perfectly fine?" Bajan questioned.

"Yeah, even with the shattered lantern and clear evidence of a struggle, he seemed perfectly unfazed. It's too weird." Woofless grumbled. "Man, we've barely gone anywhere with our argument!"

"Actually, I have a theory," Purpled interjected. "What if Preston was possessed?"

"Is that even possible?" Woofless interrupted.

"Well, with Wilbur's going crazy and all that, I wouldn't be surprised if it were real, though that would have to really mess with one's brain." Bajan shuddered. "Possessing an elf wouldn't be difficult, though. We're not very strong-minded."

"Maybe Preston got possessed by some spirit, and that's why there was a struggle. And he's still possessed by it now. In the Lofnheim religion, spirits live everywhere and we communicate with them during festivals, wishing for good blessings and such." Purpled crossed his arms. "I have no way of testing this though, especially when I left Lofnheim in such a rush."

"Not to mention we wouldn't even know if the spirit was good or bad. I mean, it's not like he's been doing anything bad to us, has he...?" Bajan's voice trailed off.

"No. He sent Pete back down to that hellhole! That's clearly a bad idea, but he did it anyway, especially since Preston is holding the money Pete's working with us for!" Woofless protested angrily.

"He's right. He's probably trying to separate us. Vikk and Philza have already left for the coastline, and Pete's down in the Shaft. Three people left in a barren castle with the army far away enough in the city to not notice a thing? This spirit is clearly trying to capture or kill us or something of the sort."

"But this spirit acts _nothing_ like Preston. Almost as if it wanted us to know what it was doing..." Bajan threw out.

"That's true, but that could be an accident. Like, the spirit doesn't know Preston's personality, so maybe it's trying to mimic it?" Purpled suggested, throwing his hands up in the air lamely.

"Well, it knew Preston was of high standing...why else would it target him?" Woofless wondered.

The room fell silent, everyone unsure of what to think.

"I think we should just confront him," Bajan grumbled.

"Are you nuts!?" Woofless hissed.

"No, he's right. It's the only choice we have to confirm that something is wrong." Purpled patted Woofless' shoulder, but the brigand immediately writhed away from the touch, Purpled drawing his hand back as an apology. "Worst case scenario, we'll have to fight him. But either way, we need to get Preston back before we lose him entirely."

"Can't we at least wait for Pete, or Philza and Vikk? This is some supernatural force we might be going against," Woofless pleaded.

"We don't have time! We have no way of knowing when Keldavegr will strike next--though knowing them, they're probably more focused on keeping everyone alive for the coming winter," Purpled reasoned. "But that's beside the point! Preston's not showing any sign of wanting to attack Keldavegr or defend Hyllifold--which is definitely wrong!"

"What's wrong?" A voice called out.

The three whirled to the door, Preston standing at the doorway. He wore the same clothing from the previous court meeting, seemingly ready for battle, confusion on his face. Woofless was thankful for the fact that all three of them had their weapons in the case of emergency. 

"Who are you!?" Woofless yelled.

"What? What do you mean, 'who are you'? I'm Preston!" Preston protested.

"No, you're not! You've been really suspicious. If you're in there spirit, you better come out and tell us who you are and why you're possessing our king!" Bajan refuted.

"I'm not possessed!" Preston shook his head, seemingly even more confused and nervous as he backed away.

"Then explain the fucking dagger!" Woofless shouted.

Preston winced at the foul language. "I already told you, it's ceremonial--"

"Bullshit! That's a basalt dagger!" Purpled unsheathed his rings, the spikes glimmering in the moonlight. "Now _who are you!?_ "

Preston's expression suddenly neutralized, his face devoid of emotion. Moments later, he spun around and ran back the other direction, disappearing from view.

"Hey, don't run from me!" Woofless, cursing, chased after the king, Purpled and Bajan right behind him. He continued to chase after his friend, his days of being a bandit helping him follow the king all the way out of the hallway adjoining the two buildings before bursting into the castle and all the way into the throne room, left untouched after so many months of war. Preston had stopped in front of the throne, not facing Woofless as moonlight filtered into the building.

"What...in...Father...Sky..." Bajan gasped, out of breath as he came to a stop behind Woofless, Purpled right behind him.

"I haven't touched this throne in years," Preston murmured. He turned around, his hazel eyes no longer a warm brown but instead a crimson red. A malicious smile crept up his face. "It's been a long, long time."

"W-What...So I was right?" Purpled, surprised, nearly tripped over his own feet.

"Hey! Enough talk! Who the fuck are you!? What have you done to Preston!?" Woofless badgered.

"Me?" "Preston" laughed, a cackle escaping his lips before falling back into a small chuckle. "Pity Sapnap isn't here. He _is_ my nephew after all."

"Your _WHAT_!?" Woofless blurted out, jaw dropping.

"Nephew!? But then that means..." Bajan frowned, poring through history mentally, before his eyes went wide in horror and his head shot back up immediately. "Two thousand years ago...the royal family had lots of brothers...Sapnap was the child of one of them, but you seem to have been on the throne before, and you have that regality, which means..."

Purpled whipped his head toward Bajan, coming to the same conclusion. Woofless blinked, and for a moment, he could see it--the way he held himself, the malovent eyes and the benevolent attitude...the calmness of the king in the face of danger spoke all too well.

**_"KING SKEPPY!?"_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TADA BIG REVEAL i kind of made it obvious but at the same time not really but what do YOU think?
> 
> the stakes are rising and things are getting more intense than ever! winter's approaching, everyone's separated, and even more...
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always! love you guys tons even if youre dead silent :)))


	39. Our Last Repertoire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Preston" tells the three the truth of his purpose. Though Dream has recovered enough to move around, George is still incapacitated, taking a turn for the worse. Pete heads back to the Shaft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10400 hits LETS GOOOOO!!! uhhhh hold on idk how to add links on mobile but the 10K ART IS UP! if you don't want to wait for me to figure this shit out its pinned at my twitter acc @cordeliasept lol thanks
> 
> UPDATE: [HERE'S THE 10K HIT ART, THANKS ONCE AGAIN](https://twitter.com/cordeliasept/status/1329519784745201664)
> 
> sorry for the late (and lackluster) update, 2 tests hit me out of nowhere and i got stuck in a writer block
> 
> song inspo: fe sov: the darkness

"Seems you figured me out," Skeppy laughed, the sound completely unnatural coming from Preston's mouth.

"W-what!? This doesn't make any sense!" Woofless, utterly bewildered, waved his hands around. "You're Sapnap's...uncle!? Actually, you know what, strike that. I don't want to think about it that way," Woofless waved off with an exasperated sigh.

"Weren't you assassinated?" Bajan muttered in confusion. "I don't understand...Spirits shouldn't be possessing people..."

"I'm not a spirit, you fool," Skeppy corrected. The air shimmered around him, and for a split second, his original form was shown—dark skin and swept black hair, blue cape and dark armor with a different sword in hand. Then, within the blink of an eye, it was back to Preston again. "Let's just say...I'm a sort of vessel. An empty body, of sorts."

"I don't understand." Purpled, guard down, waved his rings. "What about you from your original time?"

Skeppy laughed. "The strings of fate began to unwind from the very day I was born...no, even before that..." His lip curled. "I was originally sent here on behalf of the orders of the Keldavegrian king."

"Wilbur," Woofless muttered, expression turning dark.

"Is that his name? Well, it doesn't matter now." Skeppy shook his head. "Now that my job is nearly complete, I am free to move of my own will. No master is binding me to him...except for the Almighty, but that is another topic."

"The Almighty? Who are you talking about?" Bajan asked fearfully.

"No, forget that. What job? What did you come here for?" Woofless demanded.

Skeppy didn't answer, which angered Woofless even more. The brigand, frustrated, cracked his whip against the ground, causing a sharp noise to echo throughout the throne room. "Answer me!"

"Death. The death of your beloved king," Skeppy whispered.

Silence thundered around the room, moments later being broken by Skeppy's maniacal laugh. "Do you see now? From the very beginning, all that time from two thousand years ago, everything had been orchestrated from the moment I was born. Raised as a benevolent king, when in reality my only purpose was to bring about your downfall. When the time came, _I_ knew exactly how to jumpstart that war."

"The War Between Heaven and Earth...that's right! Your assassination led to all those accusations being made, and that's what caused Hyllifold to declare war." Bajan, his extensive knowledge of history coming to mind, continued to speak. "They say that the king was found in his room, poisoned and not breathing."

"It's easy to not breathe and still be living when you are bound together by magic alone," Skeppy murmured, expression slightly wistful. "I do miss those days...after I had faked my death, I was given a second duty—to pass on a special curse to two special targets—a royal, and a half-royal."

"Sapnap...and Dream?" Purpled guessed, but he didn’t have to even look at Skeppy to know the answer to what he had said.

"Either way, it was simple. Possessing a poor nightmare fairy to pass on that curse to Dream, and then possessing the general to take on Sapnap...in the end, my duty was completed, and the Almighty called me back to slumber for a long, long time. Only now have I've been awoken again, assigned to a foolish mortal being to kill another foolish mortal being." Skeppy scoffed. "It was no surprise no one suspected me, even after all this time."

"That whole war...was just your 'Almighty' tugging at puppet strings?" Woofless, still processing the overload of information, stepped back and clutched his head. "And your duty now...was to kill Preston?"

"Why are you telling us all of this?" Tears pricked at Bajan's eyes. "Isn't this putting you at a disadvantage?"

"Deep down, the Almighty has called to me. Telling me to tell you these things. I am his will, and his will is mine. I do as I am told to do." Skeppy waved his arms gallantly. "The Almighty gets bored easily. He wanted me to share this to 'spice things up', so to speak."

"Is Preston dead!?" Purpled shouted.

"No," Skeppy muttered distastefully. "That cowardly king is still holding onto life like a little pest. Not for long though—he will soon wither and die, and my duty will be complete."

"Earlier you said you were a vessel and empty body...like a puppet, right?" Woofless questioned. "Why are you acting as if you have a free will, then? If the Almighty is really just controlling you, you wouldn't have gone through the trouble of pretending to be another self."

"You do not know the Almighty. Do not put words into his mouth," Skeppy hissed, triumphant demeanor gone.

" _His_ mouth..." Purpled mumbled. 

"The way people treated you back in the day, the way you ran things for Hyllifold, all of that—did that really mean nothing to you? Are you really just a 'vessel' for the Almighty?" Bajan whispered.

Skeppy didn’t answered, and his eyes flickered with conflict. His gaze then hardened as he pulled out Preston's sword, flipping it around in his hand. "This king has not been gripping the sword correctly. It is a miracle he has lived this far. But no matter." He raised his sword high, cocking his head. "The duty of the Almighty is absolute. I do not have mortal desires, nor a wish to learn what it is like to be an elf, fairy, or siren. Your reasoning will not work on me. I do not have emotions."

"Are you going to fight us?" Woofless asked, voice slightly trembling.

"I would prefer not to. But I can feel the anger in your voices. You will want to avenge your friend. I'll accept a good fight gladly as any other—though it is a pity you will not be able to win against me. I am immortal and undefeated." Skeppy flicked out Preston's cape, sword still raised high and ready to strike.

"Father Sky, can this guy get any more confusing? This is too much thinking for me!" Woofless grumbled, brandishing his whip. "Fine then. We'll take Preston back before you can even kill him."

"There has to be some way to defeat him, or at least exhaust him out," Bajan whispered, clutching his staff. "I'll try to keep you and Purpled safe."

"For once, I gotta agree—you're confusing the hell out of me." Purpled shook his head, rings at the ready. "After we beat this bastard up, we gotta ask him a lot of questions."

"Not for much longer." Skeppy's lip turned upward in a cruel smirk, the expression even more haunting in Preston's body. "To the death!"

_______

"W-Why are you walking?" Tubbo rushed over immediately, gripping Dream's arm with a firm hold. "You need to rest! You can't be walking just yet—"

"Let me go," Dream replied swiftly, cutting through his words. His gaze was hard. "Let me go!"

"Dream, chill; what's gotten into you!?" The vines on Tubbo's arms waved around, sensing his distress.

"I need to leave! I need to get out of here! Let. Me. Go!" Dream wrestled himself away from Tubbo's grip, able to easily overpower the dryad. The elf stumbled a little farther, his gait wavering, before he hit the ground, falling onto his face. Tubbo, terrified for him, rushed to his side immediately, but Dream continued to push himself forward, dragging his legs across the wooden floors.

"I...have to go...I can't..." Dream wheezed, fists curling in rage and defeat as he slumped to the ground. His body shook, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away. 

"Dream, what's wrong?" Tubbo rubbed his hand over Dream's shoulder tentatively, as if the latter was a piece of broken glass.

"George..." Dream shook his head, unsteadily rising to his feet. "I'm sorry you had to see that—it was uncharacteristic of me. But George...he needs help."

"Did something happen while I was gone?" Tubbo asked hurriedly, worry gnawing at his stomach.

"He won't wake up, no matter how hard I shake him or try to whisper to him...during my nap, he called for help inside my mind," Dream recalled. 

"Let me go take a look at him—but don't run off," Tubbo quickly added before sprinting over to George's room, pushing the door open as much as he could without slamming it.

One look at George and it was enough for Tubbo to tell that it was bad. The fairy was breathing erratically, drops of sweat sliding down his skin and his body visibly shivering from underneath the sheets. The dryad was at his bedside immediately, Dream watching from the doorway as Tubbo tore the blanket off of George and grabbed a nearby towel, wiping his face as quickly and gently as possible. Snapping a section of one of his vines, Tubbo passed it to Dream as he ran by past him. "Hold onto this for a moment! Keep an eye on him!"

Tubbo threw open the pantry cabinet doors, eyes skimming over the labels of different materials as he tried to locate the ingredients for a healing potion. Eventually finding the bottle of ghast tears and a spare awkward potion, he quickly began brewing, praying to himself that George would just hold on for a while longer.

After what seemed to be the longest minute of his existence, the healing potion was complete, and just for good measure he sprinkled some extra glowstone dust into it. Running back to George's room he snatched the vine from Dream's hand and willed it to curl into a spoon. "Help me get him into a sitting position."

Dream, albeit slowly, made his way to George's bedside and with great effort pushed George up to a sitting position. Tubbo immediately began to spoon-feed George the healing potion, hoping that it would stay down in the fairy's stomach.

Thankfully, it seemed to work for the moment, and George visibly relaxed, his breaths easing until it merely seemed like he was sleeping. Tubbo then turned to Dream, a frown on his face. "I made sure that George won't get back into that critical period—but only temporarily. To get the proper ingredients needed to treat him, I'd have to go out and get them from the pastures on the other side of Eldingland. It could take me a couple of days to a week—or more, worst-case scenario." He grimaced. "Since you're so insistent on walking around on your own, I suppose you can handle yourself, right?"

Dream nodded mutely, facial expression unreadable.

"Food's in the pantry and the ice box. Medical items are in the other pantry facing the window. Don't wander too far from the house, and _don't_ even think about getting near that crystal that holds up Eldingland." Tubbo summarized everything up, turning to leave. "If George gets bad again, I assume you know how to make a healing potion, so you're free to make one if needed. And _you_ yourself need to get some rest anyway. I don't want you overexerting yourself."

"Why?" Dream whispered.

"Huh?"

"Why do this for both me and him? We're both strangers that just ended up on Eldingland one day. You could've left us to die in that field. Even after hearing everything about the war—" Dream was interrupted by Tubbo smacking him in the face with a vine, crossing his arms in agitation.

"Well, why wouldn't I help you!? I already told you why—I'm fulfilling my promise to your brother. If he had seen you like this right now, I'd bet he'd be real angry at the fact that you think so lowly of yourself like that." Tubbo's irritation softened into a smile. "Besides, maybe this is just a hunch, but I feel like you're going to change Osiadira greatly—for the better. I'm here to help you along the way with that."

Dream lowered his head, and a moment of silence passed between the two of them before Dream reluctantly nodded. "Alright. I trust you."

_______

A bottle flew through the air, crashing onto the ground with a shatter. Pete barely dodged the shards of glass that followed, shielding his face with his arms. "What the fu—"

"Pete! Over here!" Fundy hissed, seemingly appearing from the middle of the chaos and grabbing his arm. As he was dragged away from the brawl ongoing in the middle of the Shaft's main floor, Fundy shoved him into a tiny alcove inside his bar, closing a small door behind him as he lit a lantern with a Fire spell.

As the lantern's light filled the alcove, Pete noticed that the alcove in which he had originally thought was tiny was not as tiny as he had assumed at first glance. Though the entrance was tiny, the interior was larger, barely large enough to squeeze three people. Rations were stacked alongside the walls, and the cold ground was layered with cloth and some pillows. In the corner, Krinios was napping, a rare moment where his armor and lance weren't at his side and he seemed truly relaxed.

Previously, when Pete had stayed, he had been given a guest room where Fundy was nearby in one of the higher floors. Back then, the news he had brought hadn't made much of a dent in the Shaft's mindset, most assuming it was too good to be true. It was only when Pete was there for a while longer did they really begin to entertain the idea, though soon it broke out into full-on brawls and fights, many of the Shaft taking sides with their own friends--or betraying them entirely. Fundy had managed to sneak him out, and thankfully no one had noticed his return.

"New place?" Pete joked, but it came out weak as another muffled howl made its way through the door, most likely the fight.

"Yeah, staying in my room was too dangerous. Are you alright? That bottle was too close for comfort." Fundy's ears twitched as he examined Pete, but didn't find a single scratch. "Oh thank goodness; you got lucky."

"Why did you come back?" Krinios, groggily tuning into their conversation, had woken up just moments ago. "It's dangerous here, and you don't belong here."

"Preston ordered me to come back here," Pete replied, recalling what he had discussed with Purpled before he left. "He's...not himself anymore."

"What do you mean by that?" Fundy asked.

"I don't know," Pete replied helplessly. He shook his head, distraught at the fact that there were only three people left in the castle at the moment and only one that was even aware of what was happening to their king. "He's...made a complete change in his personality. Almost like he got possessed or something. He's not the same and it's clear that he has some other motive since he sent me back down here to try and diffuse the fights without even questioning much of what I was reporting back to him."

"Ah, so that's what you're here for." Fundy tsked, and Pete reminded himself that no matter how friendly Fundy and Krinios were with him, they were still highly-independent people, stubborn in their own abilities and judgements. "Well, is there some new proposition to the offer Preston's making us, since he's changed and all?"

"No," Pete muttered. "It's honestly not that complicated; join us in the army and get your debts wiped free."

" _Not that complicated?_ " Fundy scoffed. "Pete, that'd ridiculous. Take me and Krinios for example--our curses will never wear away even as we die, and we'll always be stuck with one eye and fox traits. Elves are still very discriminatory towards those that they think aren't "normal" or "seem right". Even if our debts--which we don't even have--were wiped clean, there is no guarantee for elves being kind to us. And there's no _way_ you could guarantee that sort of thing anyway, unless you brainwashed everyone or something, but that would just be a bad idea. And that's just me and Krinios. What about the others that have actual, more serious debts? How are you going to clear that up with the other elves? You can't just assume they'll comply with everything that the king says. Preston is nice, but he is a coward, and he would probably take back his word on it if some elf blew up at him for wiping their one-thousand dollar debt or something." The fox-elf hybrid sighed. "The costs outweigh the benefits. It's not worth the energy and time."

"So then what would you rather do, huh!?" Pete snapped. "Stay in this underground anarchic hellhole, making drinks for the same people every day for the rest of your life, never getting an inch of sunlight nor freedom ever again!? We _need_ these numbers in our army." Pete crossed his arms, falling back onto the clothed ground. "Fundy, you said a while ago that the Shaft wouldn't get involved with aboveground affairs unless it affected the Shaft directly. Well _guess what?_ This doesn't just include Keldavegr and Hyllifold. _Everyone_ is at stake here! The entirety of Osiadira is relying on this outcome of the war because _this_ will become the new course of history! King Wilbur isn't just planning to take over Hyllifold--he wants to have _another_ mass genocide. Another siren situation again!"

"And...we could just stay here and not have to worry about it?" Fundy pointed out.

"Argh--fine, Wilbur and mass-genocide is one thing, and you can just leave the entire fate of the elves upon this underground city, fine." Pete rubbed his temples. "There's another issue--the Ender Dragon is back, and taken over by the prince of Keldavegr too."

" _What!?_ " Krinios' head shot up immediately at the news. Fundy's tail perked upward in surprise.

"You heard me. Now that we've got gods in the mix, will you actually consider this offer?" When Krinios and Fundy didnt respond, he continued with increasing confidence. "Hyllifold is on the verge of collapsing. The army is low on numbers, and we've already lost a general. Philza and Vikk have gone to the coastline to recruit the last remaining pool of soldiers possible, and with the oncoming winter, there will be some time for us to prepare for the inevitable worst. You may think our country is insane, but after Wilbur, we're going to stop the Ender Dragon as well." That last part Pete was more unsure of, but he brushed it off in his mind.

Fundy and Krinios were silent, pondering their options. 

"Please! We need your help," Pete begged, knowing it was so out of character for him, but he couldn't help it.

"...How many are left in the army?" Krinios asked.

"Er....I think about only a couple thousand at best. Around 2? 3?" Pete never counted army numbers--it wasn't his job to anyway.

"And Keldavegr?" Krinios continued.

"How am I supposed to know!?" When Pete saw Krinios' determined expression, he changed his mind. "Actually, I think it may be twice or thrice that. Maybe even more." 

"...I'll do it," Krinios concluded, and Pete felt a wave of relief wash over him. Eagerly, he glanced over to Fundy, the hybrid still considering his options.

"Fundy?" Pete asked.

"I..." The bartender seemed extraordinarily torn, his face full of confliction. With a shaky exhale, it seemed that he was trying to figure out what to say to Pete.

"...Okay. Okay. You have my word," Fundy concluded, and if Pete could sigh in relief, he would were it not for him having already done that with Krinios. Fundy's tail twitched in reluctance. "What about everyone else, though?"

"When do the brawls stop?" Pete answered back with a question of his own.

"Uhhh...around night, where everyone is too worn out and too tired to argue," Krinios suggested.

"Well then?" Pete cracked his knucles, standing up. "It's alright. I got this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE 2.0: Sorry for the lack of updates everyone, school is hitting especially hard and winter break coming soon means a large influx of tests and quizzes. I want to spend my winter break worry-free, so I'm working extra-hard right now and haven’t had time to update. The next chapter is halfway written though! 
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	40. Jagged Heatscape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Dream mulls over his thoughts of his current situation, Sapnap, Bad, and Nikki continue to make their way through the Nether.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone, sorry for the month-long wait. school got the worst of me, and i was feeling extra unmotivated and depressed, as well as unsure of how to continue the story. this chapter is short as a result, but i'm getting back to my normal schedule asap. once again, apologies for the long wait :(
> 
> song inspo: i haven’t thought of one to fit this chapter yet so you'll have to wait :(

Watching George became an everyday task for Dream to continuously complete. His routine would start like this—he would wake up, take some medicine that Tubbo left for him, cook breakfast, feed himself and George, and spend the rest of the day either napping in bed or staring at George's pale and fragile figure, spooning healing potions into his mouth once in a while.

When he dreamed, he couldn't visit George. Most of them time, he would re-experience that fateful day two thousand years ago, though it was even more murky and blurry than the last time George had tried to steal his dream. Other times, he would be swimming in a vast and empty void, and other times he would dream nothing at all.

When he wasn't watching George every minute, he would wander around Tubbo's house, careful not to knock over anything. The dryad lived in a relatively crowded environment, bottles and jars and vases and books strewn about on tables and chairs alike. The floors were covered by mismatched rugs, tied by vines and ranging from cobalt blue to deep red. Paintings, which Dream considered rarities, were all over the walls, along with leaves and flowers. Plants were growing haphazardly in the corners of every room. Dream was suddenly very thankful he wasn't claustrophobic.

George's guest room had a bookshelf, a desk with a lantern hanging on the bookshelf for light, a small window, vines lining the walls, and a big yellow rug the color of sunlight. Dream had dragged the wooden chair from the desk to the bedside as he diligently watched George. Occasionally the fairy would mutter gibberish under his breath, shivering from cold as Dream changed the blanket whenever he got sweaty, and tossing and turning in his sleep as if experiencing a very deep pain.

Dream was recovering much more quickly than expected, his legs and arms no longer feeling sore, and he was able to move around much more without feeling exhausted within two minutes. All the time alone in Tubbo's house reminded him of the cabin he had been living in for centuries, and his brain whirled with thoughts.

Being alone with George gave him even more time to reflect—something he hadn't really been doing for a long time, not before he had gotten into this whole mess. Dream was not very well-versed in emotions, often letting out anger in short outbursts and acting without considering people's feelings. His talk with George on their way to Lofnheim left him unsatisfied, and that feeling only continued to grow in Tubbo's home.

Fighting came second-nature to him. When he was raised to be a soldier, the king had looked down at him with disdain. The general increased the difficulty of the training regimen as soon as he arrived, mostly likely on orders from the king, just to make his life as miserable as possible. Being pushed to his limits barely allowed him to make any friends, nor socialize with anyone for the matter. A6D was the only one who constantly approached him, a comforting force that kept him going in the absence of his brother, loved by the royal family for his royal blood. 

He lived a long time in the cabin. When he first arrived there, he had been desperate to keep up a routine. Working out, studying with books shipped to him by the kingdom, learning how to garden and fish and do many other things he had never had the time to do.

The false sense of freedom, along with the prison-like atmosphere in the cabin, had made him more and more lethargic as years passed. Days became redundant. His brother became both distant and closer at the same time—always reaching out, but pulling back. Sapnap was different. Sapnap was lucky. He was allowed to roam around longer without worry of detection, under a disguise and with the curse being much less strong on him. Dream was confined to the cabin and the surrounding area for eternity. One step out of the place would immediately give the fairies an idea of where he was. With the days growing long and tiresome, Dream barely managed to continuously study, finding no point in learning new information he couldn't utilize, and had given up training entirely, opting to do it once in a while. The only thing he adamantly continued working on was the garden, diligently tending to it as if it were his child. It might as well have been.

Then George came.

Dream was still torn on how to feel about the fairy, his emotions even more mixed up than before. George had broke the barrier, being a criminal with magic incomprehensible to Dream at his fingertips, and had wandered in. _I sensed a strong nightmare around here, so I came to explore._ Thinking back upon it now, Dream must have been the most severe case George had ever came across. In the rare times nightmare fairies weren't causing chaos, they were excellent at soothing nightmares—hence their name. 

Either way, George's presence had made its way into Dream's life and completely turned it upside down. Even though the war starting between Keldavegr and Hyllifold over his existence (and a number of other factors) would have already been enough to endanger him, George had completely changed everything. The nightmare fairy's intrusion, along with Sapnap's warning from Father Sky that the magic barrier was becoming unstable (which Dream had yet to figure out why), had welled up a resolve in him that hadn't been there for a long, long time.

At first, they were merely on the run. The fairies that located him ( _Scouts, probably,_ Dream grumbled to himself), along with Techno and his friends coming out of nowhere, led them to Bad. Then, whilst chatting with Bad, Dream had impulsively decided to try and stop the curse. Of course, he had no intention of trying to do so earlier, but it had...come out of nowhere, and he felt the urge to do something about it.

Then came Philza, where his curse had been suppressed. He was able to make contact with George. Dream didn't admit it back then, but when he was being carried in George's arms, he had felt a strange sense of security he hadn't felt for a long time. He didn't like that feeling. He still didn't like it now. _And Philza's magic was hella strong. Five months of my curse being held back..._

Lofnheim was the real turning point. This entire trip had been him running away from the war. But at Lofnheim, he made a U-turn and decided to face the war. Back then, he thought it had been worth it. Now, he could see he hadn't been more wrong in his entire life. Hyllifold was losing quickly, Lachlan was dead, and now he had been separated from everyone else, along with the one person he distrusted the most. 

He had a lot of reasons to hate George. The guy was the descendant of the ancestor that nearly killed him anyway. He was a criminal, a nightmare fairy, the pinnacle of Dream's hatred. He changed Dream's previous life completely.

And that was the problem right there. He changed Dream's life. Whether it was for the better, Dream had yet to figure out. But he couldn't deny that his adventures had breathed a little life back into him. The relief when he arrived at Hyllifold, the resolve to join the war at Lofnheim, the grief and horror seeing Lachlan's mangled body among the fallen—he could still feel emotions.

George shifted in his slumber, murmuring gibberish. With a sigh, Dream blew out the lantern, and turned in for the night.

_______

Their trek was silent as the Nether's noises roared around them. Finally outside of the soulsand valley and in the basalt delta, they had taken momentary pause alongside one of the cliffs. Compared to the cold, damp air of the soulsand valley, the basalt deltas were dusty and arid, lava lakes causing their vision to warp all around them as magma glowed brightly in small sections scattered across the spiked floor. Grey skies reminiscent of storm clouds blew a strong breeze into the air, scattering debris. The constant ups and downs of the cliffs had worn all three of them out easily, Sapnap grumbling about the uncanny resemblance to Miraga Valley's near-impassable terrain.

Nikki, being the blessing that she was, had the power in her to refill their canteens with water. At such close proximity to the lava lakes, their water would dry out in minutes as soon as the cap was twisted open, and they would have to drink the water as fast as they could. It was as if the world was against their existence, trying to destroy them and get them out, sabotaging the magic of the canteens.

Ghasts and skeletons were no longer around, but magma cubes the size of villager homes would bounce around, even swimming in the lava. One fell from a particularly-high cliff and split into two smaller dupes, as if they had never died.

"Like a type of self-defense mechanism," Nikki had explained before they arrived. "When they take enough damage, they'll split into healthier, smaller versions of themselves. Makes them easier to kill, since they can only split from one to two to four. It's always a bad idea to take on multiple at once though."

Bad had been questioning the knowledge of Nikki, finding that she knew more than she let on. He had been wondering whether or not she was trying to take advantage of them, but having protected them many times and continually saving them in monster encounters made him doubt otherwise. Sapnap was a bit more oblivious, being an elf and therefore not being very well-versed in emotions. Bad had always considered elves and fairies the more extreme of humans—opposite sides of the spectrum. Humans were the balance.

Being limited to one eye was already annoying enough, and his face kept aching from where the hoglin had torn his eye out. The bandages were no longer soaked, but they were heavy on his face. That, along with the stress of dying any moment and worrying about Dream and George's whereabouts was already enough worry to kill a human.

Thankfully, he had been trained to control his stress.

"Bad? You're spacing out again," Sapnap muttered, and Bad blinked.

"Sorry about that," Bad replied sheepishly, watching as Sapnap and Nikki both eyed him worriedly. "I've been really out of it lately."

"I wouldn't blame yourself. The Nether is often a climate shock to aboveground inhabitants," Nikki pointed out.

"You say that as if there have been people before us from aboveground," Sapnap blurted. 

"Well, I was one of them." Nikki chortled as if nothing was wrong, which only piqued Bad's curiosity more. "I'm a dryad. Of course, I'm going to assume your history books have omitted our existence?"

"Well...yeah?" Sapnap grumbled. "Seriously, how _much_ have our ancestors been hiding from us?"

"In my defense, dryads and nymphs were native only to Eldingland, which not many people travelled to." Nikki's nose scrunched at Sapnap's comment. "Most of them are dead now. Only one remains, and he's keeping the land together. His name's Tubbo. He's my brother."

"So if all the dryads die, Eldingland collapses?" Bad questioned.

"Yep. Sinks into the sea and never to reappear again. It's the will of the gods, after all." Her lip curled. "Dryads and nymphs were like children of the ancient gods. They worshipped them and respected them, and we were given gifts in return."

"But the ancient gods are gone now, aren't they?" Sapnap pointed out.

"It seems that way. The new gods must be as well." Nikki visibly wilted. "But that's beside the point. You said we were travelling to a hideout, correct?"

"Do you know of the hideout?" Sapnap asked.

"Somewhat. There's been many rumors about it amongst the people here—think of it like a war, but with less physical conflict, between two factions. The current ruler of the Nether is a god, nicknamed the Almighty, reincarnated every one-thousand years and his previous bodies remade into his own puppets for his own being. The other opposing side of his ideology is the resistance hideout—they don't have a name yet, but their ideas oppose his. Naturally, he's much stronger, so they have no choice but to hide in the Nether." Nikki informed them. 

"Why would they need to hide if no one is physically fighting?" Bad pointed out.

"The only people that don't physically fight are the leaders themselves. Everyone else is fair game in this anarchic sort of world." Nikki wove around the sharp rocks of the delta as if they were nothing. "Come on. We're wasting precious time."

"You're right," Sapnap muttered, glancing over at a magma cube that was just far away enough to leave them unnoticed. "Let's hurry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments appreciated as always!


	41. The Creation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their king far from grace, Woofless, Purpled, and Bajan face their most painful battle yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> winter break comes to a close, and with that, this fight as well! wrote this all in one sitting yeehaw
> 
> song inspo: [feh - book v boss battle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vl8t5aBgSk) (THIS THEME SLAPS!!!)

Before any of the three of the war court could even move, Skeppy raised his hand, and immediately the curtains drew to a close, and the door behind them shut and locked. Woofless glanced backwards in surprise, but he was quickly brought back to attention when black-colored magic began to seep from the floor, dragging at his feet and threatening to pull him under. "What the fuck!?"

"It's like the effects of soulsand, but...without the sand," Bajan marveled, temporarily distracted. Thankfully, Purpled had been paying attention, and the elf dove to the side and knocked Bajan over to the ground. Moments later, a sharp arrow of black magic whizzed above their heads, slamming into the walls and causing them to vibrate.

"Don't bother calling for your armies," Skeppy spoke, drawing all attention to him. Being in Preston's body, he made the king no longer seem like himself—red eyes, black and orange energy surrounding the throne and causing wind to swirl around him, further emphasizing his power. "They won't wake."

Woofless gritted his teeth, rushing forward with his whip ready to strike. Skeppy, easily reading the movement, merely turned to the side, missing the chains by a couple of inches. His hand moved fluidly, arm thrusting forward in a strike. The sword scraped at Woofless' chestplate, the dark energy burning away at the metal. Eyes widening, Woofless ducked as Skeppy brought his foot up for another strike, barely dodging it as the force of the strike whiffed his hair. Before Skeppy could go for a third hit, Woofless retaliated with his whip flinging upward, causing the stone stairs leading up to the throne to chip off a bit, the remaining debris flying up as the whip crashed against one of his pauldrons, shifting it off-center. 

Skeppy threw up a hand, but it wasn’t aimed at Woofless, and the brigand frowned in momentary confusion before a sharp white light smashed against an invisible shield from Skeppy. Backing away, Woofless whipped his head around to see Bajan with his staff, having cast a short burst of energy and now chanting a Nosferatu spell. Purpled had ran off to the side, rings in hand as he approached from the right. Skeppy flicked his hand and stone fissures erupted from the ground, blocking Purpled's path. He refused to back down, however, and jumped onto one, climbing over it with ease before throwing one of his rings at Skeppy as a boomerang. The ring missed, but as it curved backward, Bajan's Nosferatu spell managed to distract the undead king, the shield doing nothing as the ring slashed at Skeppy's back, tearing junctions of Skeppy's armor.

Woofless raised his whip again, but now no longer blinded with rage, he could only see the face of Preston, and his heart clenched. "Why?"

"How does it feel to fight your best friend, the one that changed your life?" Skeppy cackled, but his laughter was cut short when Purpled slammed into his shield, causing him to divert his attention again.

"Stop that!" Bajan cried out, shifting through his cloak for potions. The words hardly registered in Woofless' mind, memories coming back to him at the worst time possible.

_______

"Woofless, for the fifth time, why do you use a whip? I never raised you that way," his father chided, eyeing his axe with a sigh. "We'll need to get some more iron for repairs," he muttered to himself.

"Well, what if you and everyone else get distracted? I've saved you many times," Woofless grumbled. His "whip" was a small, measly three-foot chain, with a small iron ball attached to the end and a leather grip around a thick stick. While most of his dad's group of bandits wielded heavy axes or light swords, Woofless was unorthodox in the way he used a whip to attack small points in enemies that would disable them temporarily, enough for the others to go in for the kill. Compared to many of the brigands, Woofless was more keen and observant. Some of the group used to joke that Woofless would be better off in a school, but the jokes eventually died out at the sad weight behind them, the fact that the brigands would never be able to even get Woofless education without being imprisoned, much less afford it in the first place. 

"I suppose that's true, but one day you'll have to learn how to pillage like a _real_ brigand, or else you won't be able to keep up, will ya?" His father chuckled, giving him a hearty slap on the back, before turning to the rest of the group. "Alright boys! Let's go."

As the group set off and began making their way closer to Hyllifold, Woofless had wandered off, away from his family. A butterfly had caught his eye, and being the child that he was, his instincts told him to follow it. The bluish bright color had been so enticing, he had completely lost track of the environment around him, and before he knew it, he had ran into another child, falling backward into the grass. The butterfly winked out of his field of vision, and distraught, Woofless got back up and unsheathed his whip, about to strike the kid in front of him. It would be easy—he had seen his father kill many children before. There was just one issue—he himself had never actually killed anyone before.

"H-Hold on!" The bright voice of the other child he had ran into broke through his thought process. "D-Don't kill me! I know how to fight!"

Woofless stared at the child in front of him. A collared white button-down with puffy sleeves, black pants with a simple leather belt, and brown lace boots. The boy had fluffy brown hair that faded into orange and wide hazel eyes. _Must be rich,_ Woofless grumbled internally. After a moment of examining the boy in awkward silence, he then pointed out: "You don't have a weapon."

The boy's face reddened, and he curled his fists. "T-That doesn't matter! I can still punch you!" One glance at his whip, and the boy was already trembling. Before Woofless could say anything, the boy did another one-over, and he relaxed immediately, eyes widening even more with relief. "Oh thank god, I thought I lost you forever!"

"H-Huh?" Woofless was taken aback by the sudden change in demeanor, dropping his whip as Preston grabbed his wrist. "Come on! Dad will be worried!"

Woofless had allowed himself to be dragged back through the city, worried about his father deeming him missing, but also secretly excited to see where he would be led to. As the boy kept going, however, he quickly paled as they approached the looming castle of Hyllifold. "Oh no—"

"Papa! Look who I found!" The boy called out to the flower fields out in the front toward a hunched figure. As the figure turned around and rose, Woofless nearly fainted. _Holy shit, that’s the king!_

"Preston, how many times have I told you not to wander off?" The king sighed playfully, but one glance at Woofless' dirty, hallow figure, and the king's relaxed stance became rigid. The boy faltered next to him, confused. "What's wrong?"

"That's...not your friend, Preston," the king broke to him gently. "This is a brigand. They kill people and steal from villages."

Preston turned to him, and Woofless was terrified at the prospect that the king could kill him, right there and then, or even imprison him, far away from his family and from his dad, who had definitely realized that Woofless had wandered off by now, and the night approaching fast wasn't helping either, or the fact that—

"No! He's a nice brigand!" Preston protested. "He didn't try to kill me! He was just lost, or following something, but he was definitely _not_ killing me!"

_Er...that's a lie,_ Woofless thought, but he kept that to himself. At that moment, he was thankful he had dropped his precious whip in the forest. The king regarded him coldly, and Woofless wanted to shrink under his gaze. More importantly, however, he was appalled at the fact that Preston was even defending him in the first place. The prince(?) owed him nothing, and could've easily left him behind.

"Besides, he's not even a brigand! That's my best friend! Please, please, _please_ let us take him in, he looks hungry," Preston begged. Woofless watched him in amazement.

"Preston—" The king started, but Preston was already making puppy-eyes at his dad, and eventually the king relented. "Fine. We'll give him a meal, and shelter for the night. Leaving a child out alone is not a good thing to do, even if they are a criminal."

"Thank you so much!" Preston bowed hastily, and as Woofless was dragged toward the castle gates, he had never felt more relieved. "Thank you," he whispered to Preston.

Preston glanced back at him, and with a mischievous smile, brought him into the castle.

_______

"Woofless! _Woofless!_ "

Purpled's voice brought him back to reality, and Woofless suddenly recalled what situation he was in. Preston was dying, Skeppy had somehow come back to life and possessed him, and if he didn't move RIGHT NOW, he would die. That last thought barely processed through his mind before Bajan pulled him to the side, narrowly avoiding a shower of sharp spikes. 

Purpled seemed exhausted, having switched to a defensive state as Skeppy now was more on the offensive. Unable to move as swiftly thanks to the floor, Purpled was stuck defending himself from repeated magic spells, the occasional sword swipe or heel kick, and nonstop showers of sharp light that left holes ridded in the floor and the walls. The energy around Skeppy continued to glow bright, and despite his armor being worn down here and there, he was still alive and very much not as injured as Purpled was.

"We need to think of another strategy! Taking him on one at a time won't do anything," Bajan yelled. "We need to stay rational!"

"God. Damn. It!" Woofless cursed. "Why!? Why did you have to possess Preston!? Why does he have to die!?" 

"Awh, are you getting sad and nostalgic now?" Skeppy asked, mirth in his words. "How does it feel, killing your best friend? Every hit you do on me is a hit to his body. Even if you somehow manage to kill me, he goes along with me. If you die, Hyllifold will fall and wither. What will you do, faced with such an impossible choice? One life close to yours or the lives of many. People often choose the latter with no hesitation. But when directly facing the one you condemn, everything changes, doesn’t it?

"Preston gave you a new life. Imagine where you would be without him, Woofless." Skeppy's expression became sad and wistful. "A lone criminal, leading a gang of bandits, killing others. Stealing from villages. Carrying on the legacy your father had. And you, Bajan, what about you?" The healer's face paled. "Living a miserable life with such high expectations on your shoulders—to be the best cleric, the best prophet that ever was. Forced into your life from the very moment you were born, and yet even now, Preston has chosen you in this war as a highly-trusted healer, but also his best friend. As for Purpled...you owe him; he's helping you to free your country, and he's even willing to give you independence—the dream that has been passed down in Lofnheim for generations."

"Shut up!" Woofless howled, tears pricking at his eyes. "You—You don’t have any right to say that! Not in his body!"

"Oh?" Skeppy cackled, each laugh like glass shattering. "How are you feeling? Knowing the one who condemns you is the same one who raised you."

"That's not true, because you're _not him!_ " Woofless screamed. "You—I'll fucking kill you!"

"Woofless, wait!" Bajan yelled, but already the brigand had ran toward Skeppy, whip poised to strike him. Skeppy easily dodged to the left, but a fist from Woofless connected with his cheek, sending him stumbling backwards. Before Woofless could go for another hit, Skeppy clasped his cheek, looking up at him with a hurt expression. "W-Why would you do that?"

"P-Preston?" Woofless' voice shook, stepping backwards.

"Woofless, no—" But before Purpled could finish, Skeppy had already risen back up, taking advantage of the momentary vulnerability and capitalizing on it. A kick from his foot struck Woofless' chin, sending him falling backwards, before hands struck out and black chains wrapped around Woofless' body, trapping him onto the floor. His whip skittered to the side, a foot too long out of reach. 

"Fuck," Bajan cursed as Woofless visibly struggled, trying to break free. Skeppy scoffed at him, rolling his eyes. "I can't believe you fell for the oldest trick in the book," he laughed, before turning to the remaining two. "One down. Two to go." 

"What can we even do?" Purpled wheezed, brushing the sweat off his face as he examined the cuts all over his arms. "How can we even defeat him?"

"There's got to be some way, let me think," Bajan muttered. 

"We don't have time for that! If we think too long, he'll just kill us!" Purpled hissed.

"He'll just what?" Both elves turned to Skeppy in realization, moments before a pillar erupted from the ground, throwing them against opposite sides of the room. Purpled, already weakened from distracting Skeppy for Woofless to snap out of his daze, hit the wall with a sickening crunch and immediately passed out. Bajan felt pain shoot up his spine as he slammed into the ground, stave falling out his grasp.

As Bajan struggled to get up, his vision fading in and out from the immense pain he was in, he could see the footsteps of Skeppy approaching him, the king bending down to meet Bajan's gaze. His gaze was pitying, crimson eyes cutting through the fog of vision.

"Are you okay?" Skeppy asked softly, but Bajan only gritted his teeth.

"That won't work on me," Bajan hissed. "Emotional manipulation? Impersonation? Really? You stoop so low."

"Stoop so low?" Skeppy laughed as if Bajan had just said something funny, which the cleric personally thought he didn’t. "Good one. But you have to realize that it's about game over for you. Woofless is in chains. Purpled is wiped out. You're the last one standing—except you can't even stand! And of course, Preston is dying."

Bajan stared at him, tense silence between the two. Then he broke out into a shaky laugh, getting to his knees. Skeppy, confused by the sudden action, rose up and stepped back. "What is it?"

"Oh, Skeppy, you're quite outdated, aren't you?" Bajan knew he could only keep up the bluff for so long, but he had to stall for time. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Woofless' chains slowly melting away, the brigand rising to his feet slowly. "You don't understand, not at all. But I suppose that's what comes for you when you're a lifeless puppet that doesn't understand people's shit for hell."

"What!? What are you talking about, you little—" 

"Interrupting me? How impolite for someone who was raised to be polite all their life. Does death make you a foulmouth? Shocking." The sarcasm dripping from his words, Bajan gave a shaky smirk. "You don't even know this, but there is a way to defeat you and bring Preston back. Your Almighty probably has never heard of it, but it's a newly-developed technique in Hyllifold."

"Newly...developed?" Skeppy frowned.

"It's a form of exorcism, except made for especially-violent spirits like you." The ground clawed at Bajan's feet, threatening to pull him under, but he stood his ground. At that moment, a great and crazy idea came to him—naturally, it most likely wouldn't work, but he still had to try. "Of course, why would I tell you of such a method? I'm not someone who constantly goes on about their monologues, like you do. Talking is cheap."

Skeppy's eyes narrowed, and he raised his sword. Bajan pushed his foot back, readying into a fighting stance—he didn't have much experience with hand-to-hand combat, but he had to give it a shot. The possessed king curled his lip. "Stalling, right? But it's okay. I've already won."

And as Skeppy ran forward to bring his sword down, Woofless, howling like a madman, leapt from where he was on the stairwell, latching onto Skeppy's back with a tight grip. Skeppy dropped his sword in surprise, and Bajan began casting an Abraxas spell, prepared to fire it. Before the fallen king could throw Woofless off of him, a golden ring flew across the room and slashed at Skeppy's face, red blooming on the skin. The power of the floor continually decreasing, Bajan cast his Abraxas just as Purpled rose from the ground, groaning and clutching his head, but still determined to fight. As the Abraxas spell faded, leaving Skeppy completely vulnerable, Bajan grabbed his stave, muttering a small prayer as he cast the strongest spell he knew—Agnea's Arrow, a strong dark magic spell that could potentially send out Skeppy from Preston, leaving him vulnerable to a flurry of attacks.

As the light of the white arrow slammed down where Skeppy was, Bajan was thrown back from the blast. Woofless slammed into the stairwell, causing it to shudder, and Purpled shielded his eyes as Skeppy let out an unearthly scream, debris flying into the air and landing around Bajan's feet. When the cleric could see again, Skeppy was on the ground, shivering, and he rushed over, Woofless and Purpled scrambling to do the same.

Turning the king upright, Bajan's heart fell when he saw the crimson red eyes instead. Despite that, the air had changed, as if it were no longer being controlled by Skeppy. The ground no longer tried to drag them down, and all black and orange energy had disappeared. Skeppy's expression was that of distraught.

"I'm...I'm finally dying," Skeppy breathed as Woofless and Purpled held him down. Bajan eyed him, wary. "The Almighty will not be pleased."

"Hey, answer our questions you fucking asshole," Woofless hissed. "Why are you so...turbulent? You're always changing mood, personality..."

"I am the will of the Almighty," Skeppy croaked. "Do know this—even as a vessel, I still have some sentience. But I do not regret the things I did to Hyllifold. Destruction is always what makes recreation, does it not? Everything I did in Hyllifold, it all had one major purpose. But enough talk from me. I'm about to die. And soon enough, you'll meet the Almighty anyway."

"Where!? How!?" Purpled demanded.

Skeppy's breathing became more labored, and a weak chuckle escaped him as he smiled triumphantly. "You...are all fools. You've all forgotten, haven't you? You think you've won, right? Because I'm dead. You couldn't be more, more wrong. **I've won.** "

As he uttered those last words, his eyes faded from red to hazel again, before closing shut. Preston went completely limp, sinking onto the cold marble floor.

"I-Is he gone?" Purpled asked tentatively. "What did he mean?"

"Preston? Wake up, come on," Bajan ushered, shaking the king. Preston didn't react, arm laid out like a rag doll. "Preston?"

"Preston, hey, come on! This isn't funny!" Woofless shook at Preston harder in hopes of getting the king to wake up, but there was still no response.

Fear suddenly gripped at Bajan as he recalled Skeppy's last words. "We've...forgotten, right? Of course the Agnea's Arrow didn't work." With shaking hands, he reached over to Preston's arm, grabbing it and pressing down on his wrist. He paled before moving to the neck, feeling around that area also as Purpled and Woofless watched. 

Nothing.

"He's...he's not breathing." Purpled seemed to have reached the same conclusion as Bajan. "Because...for every hit we did on Skeppy..."

"...it hit Preston as well." Bajan leaned back in horror, staring at Preston with disbelief. He had been so distracted by the fact that he had thought he had won, but he couldn't have been more wrong in the end. Somewhere, he could imagine Skeppy's laugh, even after death haunting him.

"Fuck...FUCK!" Woofless threw down his whip, standing up and walking in a circle with tears threatening to come to his eyes. "All of that, for nothing!? Are you fucking serious!?"

"Even after death...Skeppy completed his job. He won," Bajan confirmed, standing up alongside Purpled and Woofless. 

Preston was dead.

The king of Hyllifold was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please don’t hate me :)
> 
> kudos and comments appreciated as always! AND WRITERS DESERVE BETTER LETS GOOOOOO


	42. Beautiful Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pete returns with Fundy and Krinios, only to find the worst possible scenario in front of him. Tubbo returns to Eldingland, and Dream and George prepare to leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late and small chapter again, filler is boring lmao. schools pumping out assignments, so imma have to skip this week :(
> 
> song inspo: fe3h - farewell and fe3h - rematch

"It feels...so empty," Fundy noted as Pete guided them toward the front of the castle. "I thought there would be more people around, after all..."

"Well, due to the density of the forest, we mostly spread out our camps alongside the borders in case of an attack. Along with that, the castle is mostly left empty save for the war court, since either everyone else is in the camps or evacuated to the coastline. Not to mention, we've had a lot of casualties...even more than the previous war." Pete shifted through his bag for a key, and once he found the small silver object, he twisted it, causing the gates to rise. The unusual quiet was unsettling, especially since it was now daytime and most of the time, at least Preston, if not Woofless, were awake.

"Hello?" He called out, with no response. Fundy and Krinios stepped in, breaths immediately taken away. At that moment, it just occurred to Pete that Krinios and Fundy most likely had never been in the castle before. He couldn't blame their awestruckness—his first visit to the castle had only been half a year ago, anyway. Furrowing his eyebrows, he feared an attack, but one glance around the main hallways indicated no signs of damage—except for one door.

"Is that the throne room?" Krinios pointed to said door, riddled with dents in the metal plating. Right in the center of the double staircase, the throne room was right at the front of the castle for ease-of-access toward newcomers and others visiting the castle.

Pete walked up to it, ignoring Krinios, and grabbed the doorknob. "It's...locked?"

"That's...probably not a good thing," Fundy murmured, but was immediately interrupted by Krinios letting out a battle cry as he ran toward the doors at full speed, ramming full-force into the side of the door. His strength overpowered the hinges and the door fell apart, crashing into pieces of wood and sawdust. Pete turned away at the dust cloud, letting it dissipate. When he glanced back, he immediately broke out into a sprint, stopping right in front of the scene.

"Preston?" His voice came out unnaturally small. The king laid on the floor, limp as a rag doll and pale as a ghost. Next to Preston, Purpled and Woofless were sleeping. Bajan was the only one away, stave faintly glowing as he healed up cuts and wounds all over Purpled's body. "Bajan?"

"Pete! You're back!" Bajan's staff clattered to the ground as he rose up from where he was sitting, engulfing Pete in a tight hug and burying his face into his shoulder. The cleric was visibly shaking in relief. "Thank goodness you're okay."

"Yeah, I managed to make it out with two of my fellow Shaft friends." He waved a hand toward Krinios and Fundy, who were watching with confusion from a distance. "But enough about them for now. What's going on? Are you alright?"

Bajan released himself from the embrace, glancing back at Purpled and Woofless. The silence was becoming more and more unbearable. Becoming exasperated, Pete threw his hands up in the air. "Does this have to do with Preston acting weird and whatnot?"

Bajan stiffened, which confirmed Pete's suspicions. The cleric kneeled down beside the king, and Pete realized at that moment that Preston was not breathing. Stifling a gasp of horror, his eyes darted toward Bajan. "Is he..."

"It's a complicated story. When Purpled and Woofless have recuperated enough, we'll explain the whole story. But the short version is pretty much that the king of Hyllifold is dead," Bajan finished.

" _What!?_ " Fundy's voice broke through the tension, and he made his way forward. "Oh no...the Shaft definitely won't help us now...they'll just go rogue and escape all over the place."

"How did he even die!?" Pete, distraught, eyed Preston warily.

"We..." Bajan's voice cracked, and in that moment, Pete noticed why Bajan had been acting so guilty. "We killed him."

_______

"So let me get this straight," Pete reiterated as he waved over at Preston's body. "Skeppy, our long-dead king who was the cause for the War Between Heaven and Earth, was actually a puppet under this 'Almighty' he follows, and he planned out that entire war by faking his death? And then he took control over some of the fairies during the war and passed on that immortality curse onto Dream and Sapnap? And now he's back, under Wilbur's orders to kill Preston, and takes control over Preston's body, right? And then you three fight him, and because Skeppy is in Preston's body, you're killing Preston while you're trying to kill Skeppy. And because of that, Skeppy died, but Preston did as well?"

"Pretty much," Bajan sniffled, wiping his tears on his sleeves.

"I could barely follow half of that summary," Fundy remarked. "But damn. I'm sorry, Bajan."

"No, you don't need to apologize." Bajan smiled weakly, before promptly being interrupted by a large groan from Woofless. "Oh, you're awake!"

"B-Bajan? What time is it? Is Preston..." Woofless drearily rose from the ground. One glance at him and he seemed just as terrible as Lachlan had been when he found out he was fighting Seapeekay—his eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, dust and debris caked his body and his face was glistening from dried tears. Faint outlines of numerous cuts were all over his body and bruises had formed on his skin. His eyes made their way to Pete, and then Fundy and Krinios, and then toward Preston. "Welcome back."

"Are you...okay?" Pete frowned as Bajan helped the brigand to his feet.

"No, but there's no time to mourn. I'll cry later, when I have the time to be crying. There's more important matters at hand." Woofless' chest weakly puffed out with low confidence, kneeling down to Preston's level and weaving his fingers through his friend's hair, until he pulled off a thin gold circlet with a red ruby encrusted in the middle. "I made a promise to Preston—if he were to ever die in battle, I would take up the mount until I could find a more suitable king.

"It's almost as if he knew he was going to die," Woofless murmured as his hands moved down to pick up Preston's sword. "We'll hold a funeral in front of everyone, followed by a coronation as soon as possible. We don't have to be happy, but—"

"What about the meritocracy? What if someone believes they are stronger and more fit to rule?" Fundy pointed out.

"Well...either we'll duel, or we'll bend the rules. This is a war, Fundy. We can't always make good decisions, only the ones that are best. Besides, this is Preston's dying will. Maybe he didn't have much of a good reputation during the peaceful days, but he's proven himself now...even though his death was so unfair." Woofless sighed, waving his hand. "Bajan, when Purpled wakes up, update him on the situation. Fundy, Krinios, Pete: I'll retrieve some maps of Hyllifold for you. Head to the camps and bring them to the castle."

"Are you sure about this?" Pete frowned. "I'm worried about you."

"We have time to recover. With winter approaching, the fairies will have to halt their assaults. With enough time, we can figure out a new plan to rebuild Hyllifold's army." Woofless shook his head. "My health is the least of my worries right now. The people matter most. Now, let's go!"

_______

"So what have you called us all here for?" One soldier bravely spoke up in the large silent crowd. The full army had diminished so greatly that they could fit into the castle's nearby town square and still have enough room to move a couple steps around. At the stairs leading up to the castle stood Woofless in the center, Pete and Bajan on his left and right respectively, and Purpled on the side alongside Fundy and Krinios, sharing hushed whispers. The bright sun of noon leading into the afternoon bore no warmth as Woofless took a deep breath.

"We have an important announcement to make," Woofless began, before shaking his head. "Actually? Nevermind. Words aren't my thing. Last night, there was an attack on the castle. That attack...resulted in this." And as Woofless stepped aside to reveal Preston's body laid on a table, the whole let out a collective gasp, before breaking out into terrified chatter.

"Is that Preston!?" One commoner cried out.

"Dead!? Impossible!? His child hasn't even reached five years old yet!"

"What are we to do!?"

"Be quiet!" Woofless waved a hand, and the crowd eventually settled down, though there was now a new air of unease in the crowd. "Preston and I made a promise to each other. If he were to ever die during this war, I would take up the mantle as a temporary king until the war is over. Now that he is dead, I am now making truth of that promise. When this war is over, we will discuss who shall be the new king of Hyllifold. Any objections?"

Silence rang over the crowd, people glancing left and right to see if they would say anything. "Doesn't know how to use words my ass," Pete grumbled quietly, but a smirk was on his face.

"Really? No objections? Absolutely _none?_ " Purpled's voice spoke out. "I'm surprised."

"Weren't you a brigand?" One small voice of a petite female warrior—one of the pegasus riders—broke through the deafening silence. "You were a criminal once, so why should you be king?"

Woofless was silent for a moment, pondering on an answer, before finally responding. "Preston gave me a second chance. He turned me from someone who would've killed and stole, to someone that was capable of caring for others and appreciating life. I owe him everything, and I owe this promise to him, too. I know my childhood isn't a good reputation for me, but I've changed, and I'll continue to prove that in my temporary leadership." The pegasus rider, now quiet, nodded morosely and faded back into the sea of faces. "Anything else?"

After a little more silence, save for the chirping of the birds, Woofless clapped his hands. "Then it's settled. Let's hold the funeral for Preston now—everyone is required to attend. Afterward, we will hold the coronation. You do not have to smile. You don't need to force yourself to be happy."

_______

The funeral was mostly silent, save for the ones that were weeping at the fallen king. Buried in the graveyard just outside of the castle's city, Preston was quickly engraved a gravestone, and his burial spot placed next to his father. Woofless had kept silent, wishing he could have been buried alongside Lachlan, but to no avail.

The coronation that followed was even more silent after. As Woofless was crowned by Bajan, he could feel everyone's eyes on him, watching him, aware of his every movement and command. The tiara on his head was a heavy burden, weighing down on him as if to say, _the future of Hyllifold is now in your hands._

Bajan patted his shoulder, whispering quietly, "It'll be over soon."

Woofless couldn't believe the words.

_______

When George woke up, the first thing that hit him was the splitting headache, followed by a sudden wave of bright light. Blinking stars out of his eyes, he took note of the surroundings around him. He was still in Tubbo's house. He was still alive, and he was alright. The sun had been the bright light in his vision, shining through his window.

His hands immediately moved to his back, and he found his wings in near-perfect condition. Notably, the aches and broken bones he had suffered when he first arrived had been nearly fully healed. His stomach, on the other hand, felt incredibly queasy, and he questioned how long it had been since he had properly drank water or ate proper food. 

The door swung open, and Dream stepped inside, hand holding a bottle of medicine. At the sight of George up, his tired eyes brightened. "George! You're finally awake!"

"About time," George grumbled. "Is there food?"

"I've been feeding you, but now that you're awake, I have no idea how your stomach will handle it. Here, I'll make some rice or something." Dream placed the medicine at George's bedside. "Tubbo left a while back. Once he gets the medicine for us, we can leave. In the meantime, drink this. It's keeping you alive."

"Thanks," George muttered even though his stomach was still in turmoil. As Dream left to get him some food, George recalled the dreams that he had been having, worry filling his mind.

_It was hot, hotter than anywhere he had ever been. His vision swam with smoke warping around, hues of blurry red and orange mixing with the familiar cool darkness he felt when he wasn't dreaming. In front of him, he could make out the silhouette of a shadow-like figure, black mist trailing off his skin in wisps and floating into the air like nothingness. He couldn't see his face, but George knew he was frowning in displeasure._

_"No, no, don't move," the figure commanded right as George was about to lean closer, and to his horror, George really stopped moving right there and then. "I'm in your subconscious right now, and I have control of your dreams. So don't even try."_

_"Who are you?" George asked warily._

_"Hmmm...how do I say this? The god of all nightmare fairies? Your creator? Pick your poison." The figure hummed. "You're not like your kin though. You hardly do any pillaging and stealing."_

_"Because that's wrong?" George questioned._

_"Who told you that?" The figure asked._

_"No one. I found out on my own," George mumbled, confused at the inquiry._

_"Tough case." The figure grumbled. "I wasn't expecting you to come into the picture, but it's alright—I've already taken control of enough. I'll leave you alone for now, but your suffering will be much, much different from everyone else."_

_"Suffering? Why are you making me suffer?" George tried to move, but he was still stuck in place._

_"Why? Well, it's not like I intended to. But not my fault we were all made with emotions. I like spicing things up for myself, though. I have a little surprise waiting for you when you wake up. I'm warning you now." The figure seemed to pull out a scepter of black frost out of midair, pointing it at George. "There might be a way to salvage you, but no clue yet. I'm always watching, though. Soon, you'll meet me."_

_"Why are you telling me this?" George asked._

_"Are you stupid? I literally just told you. It's no fun if my plan works out completely perfectly, yaknow. Chaos is a fun trait of mine, after all."_

"George, Tubbo's back!" Dream burst into the room with a grin, snapping George out of his train of thought. "Can you walk?"

"Give me your shoulder." Hefting his arm onto Dream's shoulder, George weakly rose out of the bed, nearly falling off and collapsing to the ground. Taking the short moment to stretch out his legs, he wearily stumbled across the house with Dream by his side, keeping him upright.

"Tubbo!" Dream called out as he pushed open the front doors. "You're back! George is awake, hopefully we can...Tubbo?" His voice trailed off in confusion.

George glanced up at the dryad. Black, orange, and purple energy was seeping around his vines, his eyes dullen and falling from his hand to the ground, the pouch that was most likely George's medicine. Immediately, the dreams from earlier popped up in his mind, and he glanced toward Dream in horror. "Dream, we have to get out of here!"

"What? Why?" Dream asked, frowning.

"Are you serious!? I dreamed about this happening; he's going to—" George was interrupted with a yelp as he ducked, a vine barely missing his head. Retreating back to its owner, George glanced at Tubbo's way, the dryad giving off an unnatural smirk.

"Well, you didn't have to tell me twice," Dream muttered. "Time to knock him out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments appreciated as always!
> 
> update: sorry for the lack of chapters, some really bad shit just came up recently and im still trying to take care of myself. i also needed to look at my story with new and fresh eyes, so i had to take a break. im sorry once again :(
> 
> UPDATE: UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE; THIS FIC WILL BE ON HIATUS. MOST LIKELY WILL RESUME AFTER ABLSTT IS FINISHED.


End file.
